


I will follow you anywhere

by orphan_account



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Steve Harrington, Coming Out, Gay Will Byers, Lesbian Robin Buckley, Period-Typical Homophobia, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Post-Season/Series 03, Roommates, Underage Drinking, but thats assumed, the romantic relationships are really secondary this is about steve and robins friendship, they're young and figuring out their place in the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-01-05 18:17:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21212987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "You know that the second I can get out of this town I’m going to. And I am applying to most of the universities across the country and I don’t know where I will get in – I don’t even know where I want to go yet – but wherever I end up I… I want you with me. I want you to come with me.” She finished.“Oh.” That clearly wasn’t what Steve was expecting. He blinked a few times but said nothing.A year after the events of season 3, Robin ask's Steve to move with her, Steve has a sexuality crisis, and the party struggles to understand their relationship.





	1. Robin and Steve temporarily join the party

**Author's Note:**

> I actually really like Nancy as a character! but this chapter is from Robin's perspective so her opinion of her is the only one that matters.  
Coming out in the 80's was super hard, and Robin is probably the first openly queer person most of the party has interacted with so I tried to write this scene as accurate and in character as possible.  
I hope you enjoy!

There was a phone number on the Family Video receipt in Steve’s hand. A phone number with ‘XOXO’ scrawled next to it. He waved it in front of Robin’s eyes mockingly.

“I cannot believe that actually worked,” she drawled, leaning against the counter of the store. The owner of the number, a lovely looking woman who was decked out in all black, despite the nice weather, had been the last customer in the store, which meant Robin now had the joy of watching Steve wiggling joyfully in a strange dance he never would have done with anyone else present.

“What can I say – the ladies can’t resist pure man such as this.” 

“I beg to differ I’ve seen many ladies fight oh so hard to resist. Did I hear that you would watch that movie with her tonight, pure man?”

“Yup. I’m that good.”

“Right, so, you remembered that you agreed to join Will and El’s welcome back campaign?” She asked with a smile. Steve’s energy instantly dropped.

“Shit.” He said. He sprinted out the store, a “Cover me!” barely making it through the closing doors.

Robin laughed at him. It wasn’t like there was anything to cover. They closed in about 5 minutes – only the worst people would come in so close to finishing time.

Two of Dustin’s friends, Will and El, had moved away last year but were currently visiting for a weekend during the school break. Dustin had gotten Steve, and by extension Robin, to agree to come to a party for them that night, only mentioning after that it was a different kind of party; a D&D campaign. It had taken a lot of begging on behalf of both Robin and Dustin to get Steve to still come.

Robin knew she was only invited because she was best friends with Steve, which actually meant she was actually invited because Steve had his weird connection with Dustin, but she liked those kids and she was more than happy to see them again. She didn’t know Will and El that much – they had moved away only a few months after she had met them – but she liked the other members of the party that have filtered in and out of her life well enough, so she wasn’t nervous about tonight.

Steve re-entered the store, huffing.

“Boy, she moves fast for someone dressed like that.”

“I am surprised she could even walk out into the sun without melting.” The two of them chuckled. Steve joined Robin behind the counter even though one of them was technically meant to be restocking right now. “I’m surprised, to be honest, she doesn’t seem like your type, cool guy.”

“I’m _growing_. I thought you would be proud.”

“But do you have to shoot your shot at every woman who walks in here? I swear you are actively driving away all the cute ones, Dracula there is the only girl our age who has come in today.”

“You’re just jealous.” Steve scoffed.

“Yes, your date with Rebecca is tearing me up inside.”

“Rebecca! That’s her name!” He grabbed a pen from counter and wrote it messily above the number on the receipt.

“Oh my god.” Robin laughed as he stuffed it into his pocket. “Rebecca Jones, dingus. She was in the year above you, man. Did you notice anyone outside your inner goddamn circle?”

“Hey – you know the rules. I don’t mention that time you straight up didn’t shower while exams were happening, you don’t mention how much of a douche I was in high school.”

“True, but how much of a douche you currently are is completely fair game.”

Steve shook his head at her, but he was smiling. He went over to the door and flipped the sign on the door to ‘sorry we are closed’ far too dramatically.

“God that’s always so satisfying.”

“I’ll count the till; you check the stock out the back.” Robin ordered, starting to stack the money.

“You are the only employee here that actually does that, you do realise?” Steve started moving to the back room none-the-less.

“I am the only reason you still have your job, you do realise?” Robin parroted back in the same tone.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Several painstaking minutes later and they were officially ready to leave. They clambered into Steve’s car and set off for the Wheelers house. Her bike was tied to the boot through the open back windows in a way that was probably illegal, but no one really cared in a small town like this. The music blared when he started up the car and they both jumped. They looked at each other and laughed at their wide-eyed expression. 

There was a small stretch of road between the shopping district and suburban area where there were no buildings or pedestrians passing. Robin got out her backpack, before pulling out her spare tee-shirt.

“Eye’s on the road, Harrington.” She warned, before starting to change her top.

“Jesus!” He cried, but he kept his eyes forward, forcefully so. “I get that your gay, so this is like _technically_ okay, but I ain’t blind, you know.”

Robin pulled her nicer top down over her bra and tucked it into her high-waisted jeans awkwardly. Her heartbeat raced at his words. Steve didn’t have any problems with it but… maybe she still did. It was uncomfortable to talk about, and whenever it came up, even so casually, she felt vulnerable and wrong and judged. She hadn’t even been able to say the words “gay” or “lesbian” out loud, though she has tried a few times. She avoided his gaze, bending down to untie her boring black work shoes instead.

“Well since there aren’t any changing rooms at a goddamn video store, I have to make do. You know you don’t want to rock up to this thing in your uniform either.” She said. She could feel him rolling his eyes next to her. She pulled her combat boots on before she sat back up. “My makeup still okay?” She asked, turning her head to him while she pulled out her hairbrush next. His eyes flickered between her and the road.

“Maybe reapply your lipstick.” He answered honestly.

“Thanks.” She finished with her hair and went to put the brush away but Steve’s hand shot out to stop her.

“Wait, leave that out.” He seemed almost bashful, but Robin didn’t know why. Steve’s hair was a part of him. To her it was almost obvious how much care he took with it. Maybe he wanted people, even Robin, to think it was effortless.

“Sure thing, man.” She made her voice as casual as possible to let him know she really didn’t care.

She touched up her makeup – using the mirror in the visor – and adjusted the last of her hair. Once she had finished, she flicked the sun visor up and looked over at Steve. He flicked the indicator on his car and they turned into Mike's suburb. The sun was setting and the neighborhood had a beautiful, movie-like glow about it. Its atmosphere was infectious and Robin was struck all at once with how much she truly, surprising loved Steve Harrington and how lucky she was to have him in her life. She turned down the music. She needed to venture into a topic that had been on her mind for quite a while now.

“Steve…” She lost all steam almost instantly. She closed her eyes and pressed her head hard against the car chair. Her sudden silence made him suspicious.

“Yes, Robs?”

“I… You know how I graduate at the end of next semester.” She looked at him again. He frowned at her curiously before swiftly looking back at the road in front of him. Some kids no older than ten were messing around in a front yard and he slowed down.

“Please stop reminding me how young you are.” He said, keeping an eye on the children.

“I’m a year and a half younger than you – dick!” She laughed, slapping his leg. “But, uh… I just… you know that the second I can get out of this town I’m going to. And I am applying to most of the universities across the country and I don’t know where I will get in – I don’t even know where I want to go yet – but wherever I end up I… I want you with me. I want you to come with me.” She finished.

“Oh.” That clearly wasn’t what Steve was expecting. He blinked a few times but said nothing. Robin was desperate for him to just say something. She realised she was twisting her hair between her fingers and gripped it in her lap instead.

“It's just I would love being able to live off campus and I know that my parents would feel better if I had a roommate – especially a man they knew. And we could save up over the next couple months so we could split a place together.” Steve still wasn’t talking. “It’s just something I was thinking about, is all.” She finished lamely.

“Moving across the country with you. Wow.” He exhaled. “That’s... quite an offer.”

Robin swallowed.

“It’s just an idea.” She assured him, chest tight. “I think us living together could be cool. I mean I basically already live at your place already.” Steve just nodded. Robin fought for a subject change. “So what happened with Rebecca?”

“Oh, I uhm,” Robin could almost physically see his brain switching gears, “I just moved our date to a few hours later. After the lame D&D thing.”

“So you two are definitely going to have sex then?” That brought Steve out of his trance. He almost jumped.

“How dare you! I am a gentleman!” He cried through his light laughter.

“Please – she was all over you AND she's meeting up with you at what like eleven at night? You two are going to go to town and you know it.” Robin teased, glad for a sense of levity in the car again.

“I mean I wouldn't be opposed.” Steve shrugged as he parked in front of the Wheeler house. He stared across the yard at it for a few moments and Robin knew he was thinking about Nancy. He had told Robin all about how dating her had been, about how much he had loved her, when they had both gotten plastered together one night. Robin, surprised at yet another drastic tonal shift, floundered for what to do for a moment. She grabbed her hairbrush and waved it in his eyesight.

Steve smiled a small smile at her and took it. She grabbed their jackets from the backseat. She pulled hers on and when Steve had finished with his hair she wrapped his around his shoulders. She intended to pull back right after but he turned his head into her and so she leaned in so he could rest it on her shoulder. She pulled other arm up so she could hug him properly, not one hundred percent sure why.

“Steve?”

“It's just going to be weird going back in there. I haven't been in that house since we broke up.”

“Okay.” Robin nodded. She kissed his head the way he did to her. She hoped it was reassuring. “That's a totally normal thing to freak out over.”

Steve pulled back. He adjusted his jacket to cover his work shirt and ran a hand through his hair.

“I am not freaking out, Robs. I got this.”

“Yeah. You got this.” She winked at him and he smiled thankfully at her.

As luck would have it, the second Mrs. Wheeler opened the door with a bright “Steve! Robin! Good to see you guys again,” Nancy was walking down the stairs.

“We're here for El and Will.” Steve said, directing it over Karen’s shoulder. Nancy nodded. Mrs. Wheeler left.

“I'm on my way to see Jonathan for the first time in ages.” Nancy said. Then seemed to realise that was the wrong thing to say because they both tensed up instantly. Robin wrapped her hand around Steve's bicep to try comfort him. Nancy's eye flicked to her and she smiled politely. “You were at the mall. Robin, right?”

“That's me.” Robin smiled. She pulled Steve out of the doorway and Nancy hurried out of it with an awkward smile. The door shut behind her. “We also had two classes together like all of last year, babe.” She muttered under her breath. Steve nudged her with the arm she was still holding. “I have no idea what you saw in her! Also, what on Earth was that? Are you two capable of having a normal conversation when life-threatening monsters aren't present?”

Steve knew she was teasing and smiled at her. He went to answer but there was a cough behind them. Max and Dustin were standing in the hallway. A bowl of chips was in Max's hands and two giant bottles of soft drink were in Dustin's.

“Shit, I... I didn't mean that. I'm sure Nancy's great!” Robin said hastily.

“I get where you are coming from, but Nancy is a badass, I promise.” Dustin said.

“Yeah, I remember from the battle last year. So cool.” Robin said, hating that her uneasy feeling came through in her voice. Nancy not being a badass was not the problem Robin had been raising, but she conceded that maybe she was resentful towards a lot of people from high school from the same reason.

“Mike!” Max called. “Steve and Robin are here.” She was looking at where Robin was still holding Steve curiously. Robin let her, she wouldn’t be the first to assume they were together, and she wouldn’t be the last.

They heard pounding footsteps and then Mikes face appeared at the hallway. Was he somehow even taller? He was grinning in a way that Robin honestly hadn’t seen… probably since the Byer’s moved, actually.

“This way, guys!”

The four of them followed Mike down the hallway, then some stairs into a basement. It was one of the coolest places Robin had ever seen. The walls were filled with nerdy memorabilia and in the centre two tables were pushed together with several chairs pulled around them to make room for everyone. Lucas was sitting on a couch. Max set the chips on a table and went to nestle next to him. Will and El were sitting at the table, but they rose when they saw the group enter. Steve pulled them both into a tight hug.

“How’s the new place going, nerds!” He cried. Robin took her turn to hug them as well, although she couldn’t help feeling slightly out of place and unwanted. An annoying side effect of being so excluded in high school, she supposed, although she knew everyone in this room was equally as dorky as she was. She gravitated back next to Steve as the two teens riveted them with stories of their new lives.

Eventually they all got in position. Mike was at the head of the table. Will was next to him on the right side of the table, then Lucas and Max. Dustin was on his left side, then Steve then Robin. El sat opposite Mike, next to Robin and Max. 

“I know you guys don’t really know how to play D&D,” Mike said, “so Will and I made you these characters and we can teach you how to play as we go.” He offered two piles of paper at them and Robin was struck with how sweet these kids were.

“Actually, I do play. I even have a character. She’s a paladin.” She shuffled her hand around in her over-stuffed bag to try find her character sheets. “Is it cool if I play with her. She is quite powerful.” Finally she located the papers, slightly crinkled, and glanced up to see everyone looking at her.

“You are literally the coolest person in existence.” Dustin crowed.

“I’ve never heard of a female paladin before.” Lucas said. His tone sounded awed, not intentionally ignorant, so Robin just smiled at him.

“I play with some girls from band. We have a whole bunch of really cool female characters.”

“Wow.” This came from El.

“Maybe D&D has something semi cool about it after all. Please hang out with us instead of Steve.” Max added.

“Hey!” Steve cried indignantly. He snatched one of the groups of papers from Mikes hands. “I can be just as nerdy as Robin if that is what you guys like. I’m… Jomakon… the Wrecker. God, what is my life.” He placed the papers in front of him and dropped his head into his hands.

“A tough life you do have, depending on a bunch of fifteen-year old’s for validation.” Robin teased. Steve, the mature man he is, stuck his tongue out at her

-

"I roll to seduce!" Steve cried. He jostled Robin from where she was nestled under his arm.

"Steve, you can’t seduce every creature we come across." Lucas reminded him.

"If you nerds want me to play this game I am going to play it my way.” Steve shook his head slightly at Lucas. His hair flopped up and down and Robin couldn’t help laughing at him.

“Give him a break, guys. He gets to be more successful with romance in this game than he ever is in real life.” She mocked. He made it too easy.

“I. Roll. To. Seduce.”

"Ok, fine. Steve roll to," Mike sighed deeply, "seduce the goblin." The party laughed at his defeated tone. Robin caught sign of her watch.

"Hey dingus, speaking of failing seduction, you are going to be late for your date with death."

"Shit! I need to go.” Steve dropped the die in his hands. He kissed her forehead quickly and started shoving his already crumpled belongings into his bag. “Will, El, it was great to see you guys. Robin, you want me to come pick you up after?"

"Nah just leave my bike out front. I live just a few blocks east. I don’t want to get in the way of your very miniscule chance of getting some."

"Me too!” Dustin grinned. At their confused expressions he added, “Not the getting some part, the living east part. We can ride home together." Steve gave them both a thumbs up.

“I have that music convention thingy tomorrow, but I will call you after.” Robin promised.

“Tell me if I end up marrying this goblin then.” Steve said. Robin didn’t even bother telling him that wasn’t how Dungeons and Dragons worked. He began taking two steps at a time out of the basement.

Robin turned to a couple of lost faces.

"Wait, you two aren't dating." Max asked.

"She wishes!"

"God, no." They laughed at the same time before Steve disappeared out of the door. They could distantly hear him saying polite goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler.

"No offence, but your relationship makes absolutely no sense." Mike said.

“They’re in denial.” Dustin chimed in. Robin rolled her eyes at the both of them.

Lucas, who had barely seen Robin and Steve interact before tonight, added - "You clearly love each other, why aren't you together?" - like it was the obvious solution.

“He is way out of my league." Robin joked, but when they gave her more disbelieving looks she relented. "Yeah, we… we love each other but it's like... how do I describe this? It’s just an unconditional, no-matter-how-much-of-a-fucking-dumbass-you-are-I'll-still-love-you type of love. It’s more than a regular friendship, but not at _all_ romantic. Like how you love Dustin, Lucas." She motioned between the two boys, her bracelets jostling.

"But Lucas and I are both dudes. That's totally different!" Dustin scrunched up his nose. Robin's stomach dropped. Right.

“I do not love Dustin,” She distantly registered Lucas saying. Dustin gave a loud, hurt reply. Her eyes skittered around the room, trying to find someone else she could possibly get to understand, when Will caught her eye. She realised he had barely spoken a word since she got here, apart from when it was his turn. He looked as gutted as she did. He was staring adamantly at the floor. Robin felt like she was looking at herself. 

Oh.

"Actually, there is another reason we aren't together. A pretty big one." She said without really thinking and not taking her eyes off the young boy. "Only Steve knows this, though, and you have to understand it can't leave this room." She shouldn't have made it sound so mysterious and appealing. The teens around her all leaned forward eagerly. Engaged.

"You're moving!"

“He’s moving!”

“It’s forbidden!”

"You're dying!"

"Jesus dude."

"No," Robin laughed despite herself. Her heart was racing. "No I... I am a..." she crosses her arms on the table and looked down uneasily. She was about to throw up – was it going to be like this every time? A part of her loved how much these little dorks looked up to her, what if she lost that? "I like girls. Only girls."

Silence. She could feel her heart in her throat. This was a mistake.

"Why is everyone quiet?" El asked, confused. Robin looked up tentatively. She found some shocked faces, but no one was disgusted.

"It's just not that normal." Lucas answered carefully.

"Hey, don't listen to him.” Max interjected quickly. “I have two uncles back in California who are the nicest, sweetest men in the world. We still love you to death. And Lucas apologizes, _doesn't he_." She gave him a fixed glare and a light slap with the back of her hand.

"Yes! Obviously, we still love you." He took Max's hand in his. "I didn’t mean it like that. I get more than anyone what it's like to be the outsider." Robin felt herself exhale at their caring tones.

“This changes nothing Robin,” Mike smiled at her from the head of the table. “We still love you – fuck everyone else, right? If anything, dealing with all the bigoted assholes in Hawkins makes you even cooler.”

"Wait Steve already knew this and he didn't tell me?"

"Dustin!"

"I’m sorry, I mean - I still love you Robin.” He expelled in a rushed afterthought. He reached across Steve's empty seat to pat her shoulder, but it was clear his mind was otherwise occupied. “But I would have thought that Steve would have, you know, informed me of something as major as that."

Robin let out a surprisingly loud laugh. She looked back at Will. His mouth was slightly parted in surprise, but his eyes were shining like he had just met a giant celebrity in person. She gave him a slight wink and he hurriedly looked away and started adjusting his Will the Wise playing piece.

-

Robin found her bike beside the others out the front later that night. Steve had even put the stand down instead of just chucking it on the lawn like the rest of the group had clearly done. Joyce had picked El and Will up just a few minutes ago. Lucas’s father had followed. Robin watched sadly as Max and Lucas both dropped each other’s hand’s when they saw him come around the corner.

Mike waved Max, Dustin and Robin off as the rode away. It was dark out and so Robin turned on the light at the front of her bike. Max talked with her about the latest Wonder Woman comic issue until she had to turn off a few streets down. Robin listened to the crunch of the gravel under her and Dustin’s wheels for a moment before he spoke up.

“Hey, sorry about how I reacted before.”

“What, dude?”

“When you told us what you told us. It just caught me out of left field is all.”

“Oh. Yeah well, trust me that went way worse in my head.” She admitted. She tried to brush of the uneasy feeling that inherently crept up when she talked about her sexuality out loud.

“I was thinking about it and I understand why Steve didn’t tell me. None of us will tell anyone, either. If we can keep the upside down a secret, this will be a breeze. What made you decide to tell the party?” He asked. Robin hesitated.

“I told you so you would finally stop hounding Steve and I about dating.” She kept her tone light although her insides were twisting this way and that and she knew it showed on her face.

“Sorry about that, too.” Dustin said. She shook her head.

“Enough apologising. You didn’t do anything wrong, Dustin. And, besides, I do love him. More than anyone else in the world, I think. And there aren’t many people like me in this town, I get why you would have assumed.”

“I can’t wait to feel like that.” Dustin sighed wistfully. He and Suzie had only lasted four and a half months, unfortunately. Turns out as cool and romantic building a giant radio is, not being able to see the person you are dating at all was quite a hindrance. Dustin had crashed at Steve’s house the night she finally broke up with him. The three of them had watched movies all night and while Steve and Robin made dinner, Dustin heartbrokenly told them Suzie had fallen for another boy in her class.

“You will. One day." She reassured him. "You are such an amazing little dude.”

“And I am sure you will find a great girl one day. Some super hot chick easily as cool as you and then you can ride off into the sunset together and Steve will be your man of honour. Oh! I will be the flower boy.”

Robin laughed.

“Keep your voice down!” She said, but her tone was light. “That sounds… amazing, but I don’t really think I need that anytime soon. I know Steve and mines relationship doesn’t make much sense from the outside, but I care about him as much as I could care about any girlfriend. He makes me so happy and I am so lucky I found him, you know. I love him and he loves me. He was the first person I came out to, the only one before tonight.” Robin ended up talking out loud to herself. She was surprised to hear Dustin chime in next to her.

“Well, consider us flattered. And we love you too.”

“So you keep saying, over and over. I get it: you guys are cool with it.”

Dustin smiled at her and she smiled back. Then Dustin hit a rock and briefly lost control of his steering wheel, causing Robin to almost collapse in a fit of laughter.

-

Robin called Steve’s house the second she got home from the convention. She threw her bag on a nearby couch and paced impatiently as it rang. He answered – he always answered, never a parent, - and didn’t even get a syllable out before she rushed to get her news out.

“I got invited to a party! Me! I met this girl at the music convention from a few towns over and she invited me to an honest to god cool people party this weekend.” Steve laughed at her eagerness and excitement.

“That’s great, Robs! I love a good party.”

“Yeah, well that’s what I am calling to ask. Want to come?”

“Are you sure? If it’s just going to be a bunch of eighteen-year old’s…”

“Oh you are barely twenty! Stop acting like an old man! And anyway I kind of need you to come, its about an hour away and my parents would never let me go to this sort of thing.”

“So, you need me to be a taxi driver?” 

“Please! Please, Steve, _Steve,_ I will owe you so much.”

“So much, babe, but of course I’m down. What time?”

“I’ll bike to yours at eight and we can head off maybe nine thirty? You don’t mind if I crash at yours after, right?”

“Nah. I like when you sleep over. Even if you are going to be plastered and I will be stone cold sober.”

“I’m not planning to drink that much.”

“Oh, so how cute is the girl?”

“What?”

“Come on, Robs, the only reasons people go to parties is to get black out drunk or to hook up, so how cute was this girl that invited you.”

“You know, we aren’t all shallow, party animals like you. Some of us just like the company of other people.”

“You hate other people. How cute?” Robin sighed. She banged the phone against her forehead a few times and then, only because she was home alone and it was _Steve_, admitted:

“Very.” Steve whooped on the other line. It made Robin smile slightly, he always made her feel like it was totally normal to feel the way she did. “She was Latina, I think, and called Olivia? She was so beautiful and, god, Steve, her arms. Are arms a weird thing to notice? I don’t even know but she was so… sexy.” She was blushing but Steve was still chuckling on the other line and she knew he was smiling so she didn’t let her smile drop either. “She plays the violin.”

“Nimble fingers, congratulations.” Robin snorted.

“I don’t even know if she liked me like that. I’ve never even met another woman like me before. At least I don’t think I have. This is what I am saying! I don’t even know what to look for. Do I just stereotype? I mean I don’t fit into stereotypes. I try not to on purpose.” The cord was wrapped tight around her finger. Robin realised she was rambling.

“Hey, listen. You are a goddamn catch, Rob. I know it, you know it, even those fifteen-year old’s we hang out with for some reason know it. If she is into girls, then she will definitely be into you, and if not, yay, you have a new, sexy friend.”

“Is that what happened with us.”

“That is how you ended up with the world's sexiest best friend, yes.” Robin snickered. She knew Steve was joking. Despite how she thought in high school, he wasn’t at all vain. She wasn’t even sure if he liked himself that much, which drove her mad. Her line of thought suddenly brought her down and she needed Steve to talk again.

“So how was your date?”

“Meh,” there was a rustling of fabric which meant he was shrugging. “She remembered me the way I was in high school and talked on and on about how long she has wanted to date me almost obsessively. I guess if I was still in high school I would have been all over that but I’ve been trying to move past it all, you know, and it really put me off. She was cute, and we had a good ol’ goodbye kiss, but I don’t think I am going to call her again.”

Out of no where, the temptation for Robin to ask Steve to move away with her again flooded her senses, so strong. They could let go of their stupid roles from high school and just exist somewhere where no one knows them, and they get to make their space their own. She would have a roommate who accepted her and he would have a roommate who accepted him and they would be with the person who understood them the most. They could make each other laugh and grow like this every fucking day. She didn’t even know what was keeping him here, if she was being honest. Getting out of Hawkins was her number one priority most of the time. Most of the reason she even cared about getting good grades was so she could go off and do what she wanted to do, whatever that ended up being.

However, Steve hadn’t seemed at all keen when she brought it up the first time so she didn’t let the words pass her lips. She floundered for what to say for a moment.

“Robin? You OD over there?” She shook her head.

“Probably for the best. Rebecca seems like the type that loves you so much she sacrifices you to the devil. Surprised she doesn’t have a crow on her shoulder.” She listened with satisfaction to Steve’s howling laughter on the other end of the line. She tried to focus on the time they would have together in the following months and not on the fact that she now has something she will be heartbroken to leave behind in this shitty town.


	2. Steve and Robin go to a gay club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just doing what the duffer brothers are too cowardly to do and letting their characters experience gay culture  
don't drink kids

“I came out to Dustin’s friends the other night.” Robin admits during the drive to Olivia’s. Steve was surprised. Robin had told him several times that she wasn’t planning on coming out to anyone else while she was still in high school, that the freedom of it wasn’t worth dealing with people who hated her day after day. Apparently, she had worn flannel to school once last year and got called a dyke by three different students (one of whom was Billy, they bonded over shared hatred). 

“Really? How’d it go?” Steve asked. Robin had her legs kicked up on the dashboard diagonally, so her feet were right in front of his face. She had anklets above her party boots. His folder of scratched music CD’s rested open in her lap as she flicked through them casually.

“Really well, actually. They’re all kind kids, and they get what it’s like to be the outsider.” Steve nodded.

“That’s great.” He said, unsure of what else to say. She hesitated for a moment.

“The young Byers kid. Zombie Boy? Is he…” She trailed off with a vague waggle of her fingers. 

“Is he what?” Steve frowned. She scrunched her nose is frustration.

“I mean, I know I said I don’t know how to spot _others_ but when he looked at me I just felt… I’m not sure. A connection? A sense of familiarity?”

“Oh. You think he might be…?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Steve repeated. He thought about it. Will was gentle, and compassionate, but not weak. Steve liked the kid. “I guess you would know better than me.”

“Right.” Robin said, frowning. She seemed to find a CD she liked and slid it into the player, switching over from the radio.

It was dark so Steve had his weak car lights on. Robin started gently singing the song blasting through, picking up steam when Steve joined in. Robin pulled her legs down so she could put her whole body into dancing to the music. Steve almost didn’t want to get to the party. He wanted to stay in his shitty car with Robin just talking and laughing and singing as they drove on forever. He loved just spending time with her. 

She was the first person his age who understood him. The first who was actually a good person and made Steve feel like he could be a good person too. Maybe that’s why he had a crush on her so long ago, he had never felt a genuine connection like that with any of his other friends.

But they did have to reach the party eventually. Steve parked down the road just in case it got too wild and the police showed up, which had happened to him a few times in high school. The two of them walked down the street. Robin started shivering – the outfit she had decided on for the party was cute but not warm – so Steve wrapped his fur-lined jacket around her shoulders.

“Maybe you are a gentleman.” She joked.

“Told you.”

“Oh, Steve Harrington!” Robin raise a hand to her forehead, before realising it was still cold and stuffing it back under the jacket. “Man of my dreams, please, take me right here on the lawn!” Steve burst out laughing, mostly in shock, and shoved her lightly. They walked a little further until they hit the right house. All the lights were on, and there was some quiet music, but no pounding bass, no lightweights passed out on the lawn or half-hanging out the window.

“Are we sure this is the right place?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Do you think I’m too fancy?” She looked down at her dress.

“You look great.” He reassured her. They stood out the front awkwardly for a moment.

“Well, better take the plunge.” Robin said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the house. She had her shoulders back as she knocked on the door, but Steve could feel nervous energy coming off her in waves. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as the door swung open.

Olivia was _hot_. Clearly an athlete, she had full lips, a nice smile and big hair which had been pulled back at the crown of her head. She grinned when she saw Robin, but then took in Steve’s jacket and hand in hers and her face dropped.

“Hey Robin, who’s this?”

“My friend, Steve.” Robin said. She dropped his hand in a hurry and motioned at him. “Just friend. Best friend. He drove me here.”

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Steve extended his hand and Olivia shook it, relaxing slightly.

“Nice to meet you, too. Thought I had the wrong idea about you for a moment.” That second half was directed at Robin with what was definitely a flirty smile. Robin smiled weakly back. “Come on in, both of you.”

She directed them into the warmth of the house. Robin slid off Steve’s coat and handed it back. He bent down a little further than he needed to so he could whisper in her ear.

“She is totally into you; you have nothing to worry about.”

“Shut up,” she hissed back, adjusting her hair nervously.

“And the kitchen is through there if you need any booze. The drinks in there are free for anyone to use.” Olivia was saying. “Do you want me to show you upstairs as well?”

“That’d be great.” Robin smiled.

“You two go ahead. I’m going to grab a drink.” Steve said. “A non-alcoholic drink.” He added at Robins questioning glare. Olivia turned around and he gave Rob two not-at-all-subtle thumbs up, mouthing ‘you got this.’ Robin smiled despite herself and followed Olivia out of the room.

Steve, happy for her, headed in the direction of the kitchen. He took in the party around him and the first thing he noticed was that it was more… varied than the parties in Hawkins. There were only a few black families in the entire town, and nearly no one was Asian, but here there was a dramatically different mix of people. It was also far more casual. There were maybe a fifth of the people here than one of his high school parties, and an indie rock song was playing though the speakers rather than a pop one. He grabbed a soda out the fridge and leaned against the sink.

Maybe Robin _had_ been over dressed. A lot of the women here had pant’s and what looked like men’s shirts on. A few of them with short hair Steve even mistook for men at first, but the men here were dressed nice. Really nicely. Steve felt far less insecure about the amount of time he had taken to get ready earlier today. One of them, with an afro and red and black stripped top, joined Steve at the kitchen sink.

“Love the hair.” Was the first thing he said.

“Right back at you,” Steve replied with a smile.

“I’m Mark.” He held up his beer.

“Steve.” They clicked their drinks together.

“You here with anyone, Steve?”

“My friend Robin, but she disappeared off with Olivia just now, so I’m killing time.”

“Oh,” Mark nodded understandably. “Well let me keep you company.” Mark smiled back and Steve smiled back, feeling himself relax.

They talked for a lot of the night, eventually moving to one of the couches in the living room. Steve talked about high school and his shitty jobs and Robin. Mark talked about his apprenticeship and part time work as a DJ. He was probably one of the coolest people Steve had met, genuinely cool, not fake high school cool.

The people at the party were still throwing Steve off, though. It felt different to every party that Steve had been to before. Steve both liked and didn’t like it at the same time. The people here were different. There was an energy in the room that both made Steve feel like he could be himself and made him want to run back to normal society where people like this were heavily judged. 

There were masculine women and feminine men. Steve even saw a few men wearing makeup, which he thought only famous men like David Bowie could do. One of them in particular caught his eye, a tall but thin man had red eyeshadow which glittered in the light. What would Steve look like with that, he wondered. If, after he had his hair just the way he wanted it in the morning, he…

“Steve?” He was pulled out of his thoughts by Mark’s hand on his thigh. “Your mind somewhere else, man?”

“Yeah, sorry.” He laughed, hoping that Mark wouldn’t ask what he was thinking about. He didn’t. He didn’t remove his hand from Steve’s thigh, either.

“I know Olivia pretty well.” Mark said. “I’m here a lot. You said that you didn’t get a proper tour of the house, earlier. I’d be happy to show you around?” Mark was leaning forward, smiling. Realisation hit Steve. He knew that move – he had used that move.

Mark stood and held out his hand to Steve, who felt slight disappointment at the loss of it’s warmth on his leg. Steve stared wide eyed up at him. Mark was attractive, objectively, and Steve knew what was going to happen if he accepted that hand. His stomach churned with nerves at the thought.

He stood abruptly, then stepped back awkwardly when that moved him far too close to Mark.

“I need to find Robin.” He lied. “I - Sorry.” He rushed off in the direction that he had seen the two girls head hours ago before Mark could even respond. He realised, belatedly, that maybe a tour of the house would have been a good idea because he had no idea where to go. He focused on finding the stairway first, because Olivia had said that they were going upstairs, right? Once he was on the second floor he started opening door after door.

Steve wasn’t gay. He didn’t have any sort of problem with it, Robin had taught him so much just by being around him, but that didn’t mean he... He liked girls. Loved girls. This was clearly a party for people like Robin and Mark had just gotten the wrong idea.

Steve wasn’t blind though, he… noticed. He could tell when a guy was attractive. Something like that was just objective, right? Straight girls appreciated other girls in the same way.

But he wasn’t sure if straight guys got as hypnotised as he did when a guitarist thrust his hips when he was really into a song. Or if the idea of putting so much effort into their appearance was as embarrassingly enticing to them as it was to Steve. And he is pretty sure that a straight guy wouldn’t have been imagining Mark’s lips on his skin ever since the warmth of his hand touched his leg.

Finally, flustered and confused, he came across a locked door and banged on it.

“Robin!” There was a pause.

“Steve?” She called from inside the room. Relief flooded through him at her voice.

“Hey! It’s nearly midnight, are you ready to go yet?”

“Right now!”

“Yes – right now!”

“Shit! Just let me… get my things… sorted out…” Her sentence was fragmented with what was clearly the sound of clothing being put on. Steve snorted. He heard a kiss from the other side of the door. It swung open. Robin was standing there, dress strap falling down and lipstick smeared, and Olivia was a bit further behind her smoking a cigarette, a satisfied smile on her face.

“You have a good night?” Steve asked as the pair of them began to walk out.

“Shut up, dingus.”

“Your hair is sticking up a little.”

“Shut up.”

“Your lipstick-“

“Shut up.” Steve laughed. He waited until the two of them were at the car to ask again. It was way darker now than when they had got there, so it admittedly took them longer than it should have to find it.

“Come on, not even a few dirty details.” He pressed.

“We talked.” Robin said vaguely over the car roof, before opening the door and getting inside.

“Talked?” Steve asked disbelievingly as he followed her. He started up the car.

“For a little while, yeah. It felt good to talk about it with another gay person, you know?” Steve just shrugged. “I guess... there was always this part of me that felt… tight about it, you know. Like I knew, objectively, that there was nothing wrong with being gay but it felt different because it was _me._ Does that make sense.”

“It does, actually.” Steve’s stomach was still twisted.

“But I think I am getting to a place where I can actually talk about it. I’m a lesbian.” She smiled to herself. Her eyes flickered over to Steve. “A lipstick lesbian, I learned tonight.”

“What on Earth does that mean?” Steve laughed.

“A girl who likes other girls but is still traditionally feminine.” Robin looked up as she said it, like she was reciting something.

“You are _not_ feminine.” Robin motioned down at her dress with a raised eyebrow. She shook her black bracelets at him. “That’s not what I mean. You’re… you’re tough. And, like a genius. And a total badass.”

“I don’t have to be masculine to be any of those things.”

“I guess not.” Steve thought about some of the other women he had seen tonight. They were far more masculine that Robin. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “What else did you learn?” She spoke about gay culture for almost half an hour, eventually transitioning into how the sex was (awkward but hot. Apparently, it was a turn on that Robin could speak Spanish). Steve only realised when she had finished, and he was left with a small sense of disappointment, that he had been hoping she could explain away his encounter with Mark.

-

Robin and Steve didn’t get home – to Steve’s house - until nearly 1:30am because they stopped at a fast food place for burgers. Neither of them were drunk, which was honestly kind of embarrassing because they were definitely dressed like they should be. They were still judged by the tired employee’s anyway.

It wasn’t the latest either of them had stayed out, but they had a Sunday shift at the Family Video store the next day. Robin had brought her uniform and makeup from home and left it at Steve’s before they left. She hardly needed too, she left so much shit in Steve’s bathroom that he was surprised she could get a look together when she _wasn’t _over.

When Robin had taken off all her shit and pulled on one of his shirts and PJ bottoms, she climbed in next to Steve on his bed. He was so tempted to ask. _What do you think it means that I think a part of me wanted to hook up with a guy tonight? Plenty of people experiment when they are my age, is that was this is? What if I had liked it? I definitely liked that he was into me. I’m straight, I’m pretty sure. If I was drunk, I think I might’ve_. But instead, she yawned and said good night and he let her doze off.

When he woke up in the morning, it hit him what really happened. He was slammed with thoughts about if someone had seen him or what would have happened if he had gone with Mark. The bed was empty next to him, but he could hear music coming from the bathroom.

Before he joined Robin, he went downstairs and called the number he still had pinned up next to his phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Rebecca.”

“Steve! Hey! I was beginning to think you were never going to call me back.”

“Sorry, I have just been really busy with work and all that.” He hoped his voice sounded charming. “I had a great time and was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me sometime this week.”

“Of course, silly goose. I’m free any time that works for you.” Her eagerness to please still rubbed Steve the wrong way, but it was something small he could overcome. He wanted this. They set a lunch date in a few days’ time and before she hung up, she said “kisses!” You would think someone who dresses so emo would be a little less peppy.

Robin, fresh-faced and in uniform, was coming down the stairs as he hung up, tying the last of her bracelets back on her wrist.

“Dude, we have to leave in like 5 minutes. Who on Earth are you calling?”

“Shit! 5 minutes!” Steve looked around the room for the clock and sure enough they had to leave almost straight away. “Shit, shit, shit, shit!” He cried, rushing past her up the stairs. Robin laughed after him.

He pulled his work shirt on, not bothering with a shower, and covered himself in far too much deodorant. Then, choking because _wow_ he should have sprayed the deodorant somewhere else, he shoved his legs into jeans. He hopped over to the side of the room as he pulled on his shoes, then he rushed through his usual hair routine, fighting to make it something presentable. It was only when he caught sight of Robin’s eyeshadow kit, although with far more neutral colours than anything he had seen on the men last night, that he realised what he was doing and stopped. He stared at it for a moment. 

“Steve! We gotta go!” Robin yelled from downstairs. Steve rushed back to her, catching the keys she tossed him, and then they were out of the house.

-

Their shifts were basically the same every time. Steve was constantly bored out of his mind. Whatever job he ended up doing, he had decided he needs it to be something way more interesting and unique. At least he thinks that’s what he needs. 

After battling monsters, Nancy had been unable to go back to a normal life with him. She had always wanted a life that was continuously as exciting. Steve understood, to an extent, but a part of him also just like the domesticity and comfort of a normal life. Maybe he somehow wanted both? Who knew where he was going to end up. He had been resigned for years that he was going to end up working for his dad, even though he would hate it, but now his dad had taken that off the table and he didn’t know where that left him.

Steve swore he had this mental spiral any time Robin was away from him for more than an hour.

“Harrington.” Speak of the devil and she shall appear. He turned from where he was depressingly stacking movies to find Robin with a tense smile and a customer near her. “This man here is looking for a movie, but since I am a woman and clearly have completely different tastes, he wants your opinion and your opinion only.” Steve raised an eyebrow at them. Robin dealt with the customers, Steve looked hot, they got paid. This was their arrangement. Robin still had her fake, customer-service smile plastered on, but the way she motioned disbelievingly with her eyebrows and eyes almost made Steve break down right in front of the customer.

“What are you looking for, sir?” Steve fumbled and faked his way through his interaction with the older man, who somehow didn’t at all notice. He left with two action movies which both had guns and half-dressed women on the cover. Steve had no idea what they are about.

“Sexist asshole.” Robin muttered when the door had shut and Steve joined her at the counter.

“Do you ever wonder where your life is going?” Steve asked abruptly. She did a double take but then just shrugged.

“Step one, move far, far away. Get a cheap apartment, which will suck but I’ll love because it’s _mine. _Step two, Study, and live my life the way I want to.” She had this determined edge in her voice which Steve envied.

“Yeah but all that stuff is so short term… I just don’t know what I want to _do_ with my life.” Steve tried to explain. Robin hopped up onto the counter and crossed her legs at the ankles.

“You’re twenty, dingus. You aren’t supposed to know, yet.”

“I feel like everyone else does.”

“Everyone feels like everyone else knows what they’re doing, but no one actually does. You are a great friend, a great babysitter and a great monster murderer.”

“I guess. I just don’t want to be stacking movies for the rest of my life, you know.” He waved one around defeatedly.

“I know. I wish I had a simple answer for you but, to tell you the truth, this is the part of our lives where we are still figuring out who we are.”

“You know who you are, lipstick lesbian.”

“Shush!” Robin cried, looking around the store even though there was nobody else in sight. She sighed. When she spoke again, she kept her voice low. “Steve… it took me _years_ to work that out, and that’s just, like, one _tiny_ aspect of my person. I can’t exactly make ‘lesbian’ my direction in life.” Steve snorted. “What brought this on anyway?”

Steve thought about it a lot, if he was being honest. Was he going to be a father? Would he have a job he loved? A wife who loved him? But the thing is, he always imagined those things, in their many iterations, happening in Hawkins. Robin asking him to move away with her last week had him suddenly realising how big a part she was in his life. Robin had been added into the equation of his future.

Aunt Robin, his kids would call her. Their girlfriends would get jealous and not understand their relationship like everyone else in their lives. They would be together until they were old and grey, a strange sort of life partner. Platonic soulmates. Bound. He couldn’t live without her.

Except that he was going to have to, because Robin hated Hawkins. She would be moving out the second she could, and she wanted to take him with her, but he wasn’t sure if he could just leave his hometown like that. They would probably drift apart once she was gone.

“Just been thinking about the future.” He replied honestly.

“Dangerous thing to do.” Robin said. Steve almost told her about how he had booked another date with Rebecca, but the words died on his tongue. If he did, she would ask why, and he didn’t really know the answer.

“I’ll man the desk for a while, it’s your turn to stack.” He said, shooing her away. She rolled her eyes at him but left, nonetheless.

-

Robin started her last term of school a week later. It left Steve _bored_. During the school breaks they got to spend almost every second together. He was ashamed to admit he had grown slightly dependant on it. It felt so good to have a friend that was his age that he forgot she was still finishing high school most of the time.

Plus, they approached school in incredibly different ways. Robin was a dedicated student with a lot of extra curricular activities. Even when Steve was studying, he had plenty of time after school and he had assumed that she would too, but every night she had band practise or soccer or Spanish club. She also took a lot of advanced classes which required hours of homework each night. They met up close to seven most weeknights, and they would lounge back and watch movies while she finished up maths homework or wrote the first draft of an essay.

“God, I wish we had been friends in high school,” he said while watching her work one night, not for the first time.

“Nah, there is no way I would have liked high school you. Been friends with, maybe, but I don’t think either of us would have actually liked the other.” Robin said, mind occupied with her current homework, “We needed that time apart to grow into the people we are now.”

“See, you are so fucking smart! Dropping truth bombs which we watch the Muppets.” Robin had just laughed and tossed popcorn at him, which he caught in his mouth.

Since most of the other employees at the Family Video Store also went to high school, Steve was able to pick up a lot of other shifts over those weeks and was making quite a bit of money, even if it was even more monotonous without Robin there. His other co-workers weren’t nearly as fun and were not amused at his lack of movie knowledge.

Robin saw Olivia occasionally at different music events. They hooked up almost every time, but they weren’t dating. Robin didn’t strike Steve as the type to be okay with that, but she was.

“I’m learning a lot from her, and she’s, like, _incredibly_ hot,” she tried to explain one day, “but we are both closeted, and she lives so far away… we both agree it’s too complicated.”

One day, a month and a half after the party Steve had taken Robin too, she burst into his house almost vibrating with excitement.

“Guess what is opening not half an hour out of Hawkins!” She cried, throwing her school bag at a nearby chair without really looking. Steve looked up from where he had been eating cereal in his sweatpants (at four in the afternoon like the directionless idiot he was).

“Strip club!”

“No – jesus – that’s my fault for tossing to you. A gay bar! An honest to god gay bar right here in Indiana that Olivia say’s won’t really card.”

“Oh.” Steve said, swallowing a mouth full of sugary cereal. He has subtly been avoiding going to other queer events with Robin, the whole thing confused him tremendously and he felt better with his feet planted on safe ground. He and Rebecca had only lasted about three dates before he faded off. His mind had been so preoccupied with nothing to do that he had tried going on a few other dates, but nothing had stuck.

“Yes!” Robin cried excitedly, not picking up on his tone. “I’m so thrilled. But terrified. But mostly thrilled. It will be so great to hang out around other lesbian’s and gay men.”

“When does it open?” Steve tried hard to sound casual.

“I just heard about it but apparently it’s been a thing for quite a while. Maybe a week or two?” She seemed to notice his face and faltered slightly. “You… you, uh, don’t have to come with me, of course.” She reassured him. “I can always call up Olivia or catch a bus out or something.”

“No. No, it’s okay.” Steve comforted her without really thinking about it. He always wanted Robin to feel like she could talk about these things with him, since he knew she didn’t really have anyone else. “We should totally go.”

Robin smiled an infectious smile and started getting out her Spanish homework.

-

They decide to catch a bus out and back so that they could both get drunk. Robin came over way earlier in the day so she could get ready at Steve’s. She brought five different outfit options for his opinion, which she for some reason valued. They ended up standing next to each other in the bathroom doing their hair together which made Steve feel like a girl. She was curling hers and he was running product through his. Two pre-game beers were balanced on the sink.

“I’ve never been to a bar before.” Robin confessed.

“I’ve only been a couple times. The closest one where people don’t know me is still like forty-five minutes away and most of the time it isn’t really worth the trouble.” Steve adjusted the hair around his ears.

“I really hope they won’t card us. I mean you look older, but I feel like I’m still growing into myself.”

“You look wicked hot. Hot girls are good for business. Wait… does that still apply here?” He finished with his hair and started washing his hands.

“Gay girls are a thing, so I guess so.” Robin shrugged, careful not to burn herself on the curling iron. “But maybe not because I don’t know if there are as many of us as there are gay men. God, I really hope there are lesbians there. It would be so awkward if we get all dressed up and it’s just a sea of men.”

Steve laughed uncomfortably. He used to think of gay men in a very stereotypical way, but honestly his encounter with Mark, and Robin’s comment about Will, had made him realise he still had a lot of bigoted crap to work though. He thinks he might be even more nervous than Robin about tonight. He wasn’t sure how he would react if a man came onto him again while he had alcohol in his system.

Robin wore Steve’s jacket again on the trip there. She was wearing pants this time, but her outfit was still clearly intended for partying and she didn’t feel comfortable showing it off on public transport. The bus dropped them off at a nearly abandoned street, a shopping district where everything was closed for the night. It was hardly the clubbing area Steve had been picturing.

Robin seemed to know where she was going, she had the address memorised and had worked out how to get there from the bus stop days ago. She led Steve turn after turn until, after a few minutes, she went to go into an alleyway.

“Wait… are you sure about this?” Steve asked. It was dark and he really couldn’t see down the side street that well.

“No.” Robin confessed. “But I know I want to do this. How about you?”

“I will follow you anywhere.” He answered without thinking. It made Robin smile. She took off his jacket and gave it back to him.

“Ok, sappy dork. Let’s go, then. I got your back, and you've got mine.”

The bar didn’t look like a bar. It was a door on a brick wall with ‘Lucky Lucy Bar’ hanging on a sign above it. There were two flags hanging next to it, an American and a rainbow.

Steve opened the door and they walked into a small, dimly lit brick hallway. There were three drag queens, the first Steve had seen in person, smoking. Their attire was dramatic and lively, but their demeanour was tired and tipsy. They eyed Steve and Robin as they passed and so he tried to smile reassuringly at them. They belonged here, did he? 

The first thing Steve did when they made it to the bar itself was scan for someone he knew. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he did see someone, maybe grab Robin and run, yelling an apology at the drag queen guards, but thankfully there wasn’t a familiar face in sight.

Robin and he made their way to the bar. It was surprisingly packed. There were tables along the walls but also a fairly large dancing area in the centre, giving it almost a club vibe. It probably was partially a club. The crowd reminded Steve of the people from Olivia’s party, although perhaps a bit more extreme. There was another group drag queens in the corner who caught Steve's eye. These ones were laughing and talking loudly. The dancing space was filled with people, men dancing on men and woman holding each other as they grinned happily. There was the same sense of unity and freedom in the air. It made Steve relax. Robin ordered two cocktails, yelling over the music.

“You are paying for these, by the way.” She said.

“What? Why?” He said, but he pulled out his wallet anyway.

“You have been making bank at the video store while I have been busy!” The bartender set their drinks on the counter. “Thank you.” She accepted their drinks – tall, filled with green and blue swirls –and waited for Steve to pay before passing him one. “I’ll cover bus fair.”

“So generous.” They made their way to one of the side booths and slid in. “So, baby’s first trip to a gay bar. How does she feel?”

“She feels nervous, to be honest.” Robin admitted.

“That’s what the drinks are for!” They toasted each other and each took a sip. It tasted _good_. It was fruity and sweet, totally different from the beers and hard liquor they usually drink when they are trying to get wasted. He can tell from Robins face that she likes it too. “See anyone you like?” He asked. She looked around the room. There were, admittedly, more men than women.

“I just want to enjoy my time here with you for a little bit. Don’t let it go to your head.” Robin smiled. Steve smiled back. They worked their way through three of those fruity cocktails (Robin kept switching it up, but the only reason Steve even noticed was because the colour changed, they all tasted basically the same) and chatted about everything and nothing. They had passed a lot of time this way when an incredibly hot, slightly older woman came over to the table. She had bushy blonde hair, tied out of her face, and a strong nose. Her face was flushed from drinking and dancing. Confidently, she smiled down at them and placed a light hand on their table.

“I’m Sandra.”

“Hi, Sandra.” Robin replied, drunk and smiling loopily at the beautiful lady. “I'm Robin, and this here is Steve.”

“You two want to dance?” She asked with a wink. “You guys are easily the most attractive couple in here.”

“We aren’t a couple.” Robin said, at the same time Steve, confused, said:

“You're asking both of us?”

Sandra looked between them, lost for a moment.

“Look, I’m just saying I dig whatever vibe you two have going on." She shrugged. "Whatever the situation, if either of you want to dance with me, I’ll be on the floor.” And with that she walked off, ponytail swinging behind her.

“That was your attempt at wingmaning me! That was terrible!” Robin laughed, words slurring slightly.

“Wait - I’m confused.” Steve frowned. At Robins lost look he added: “Which one of us was she flirting with?”

“Didn’t you hear her. Both.” Robin said like it was obvious.

“But, wait, I..." Steve floundered for a moment. "So, is she into men or women?"

“I think both. Olivia once mentioned having an ex-boyfriend she was still in love with and when I asked her about it, she said she wasn’t, like, _strictly lesbian_. There was a word for it, but I can’t remember right now.” She giggled. Her eye lids were heavy.

“Oh.” Steve said, drunkenly trying to process that information.

“I think Sandra wanted a threesome, which, ew. You can hit on her if you’d like.” Robin held up her hands like she was surrendering. “I don’t know how many other women here would be into your ‘vibe.’”

“No, no, tonight is about you! Go for it.” Robin grinned at him, then rushed over to the other woman before Steve could even try telling her to play it cool. He was happy to just watch from the sidelines, sipping his drink and letting his mind be blank. Robin was a dork through and through, and her attempts at dancing where honestly quite entertaining to watch. He was in the process of getting up and joining her when two men dropped down where Robin had been sitting. He was about to tell them to fuck off when one of them spoke.

“So, we hear you two aren’t dating?”

“No.” Steve answered carefully. “We get that assumption a lot though. Just friends.” The men smiled. They were definitely a few years older than Steve. He shifted uncomfortably at their attention. As casually as he could he gripped his drink and slid out of his chair. “I should join her on the dance floor, though.”

-

Somehow, the pair of them got home. The world was fuzzy, and Steve felt nauseous. Robin was laid out on the tiles of his kitchen floor while he tried to make some pancakes. He would realise sober how stupid it was to eat goddamn pancakes when he felt sick, but his drunk brain was currently praising him for how brilliant an idea this was.

“That was amazing.” Robin gushed. She wiggled onto her side and tugged at Steve’s jeans. “We have to go back there! We have to, Steve!”

“Definitely.” Steve agreed. He placed the plate of the falling apart pancake stack on the floor next to her.

“Wait! Don’t sit down yet!” Robin cried. Steve froze. “We need… we need… syrup! And, uh, napkins, or paper towels.”

“Right!” Steve realised once more that Robin was an honest to god _genius_. He got what they needed out the cupboard and turned around to see Robin was eating a plain pancake with her hands, still lying on the floor.

“Steve, I honestly think pancakes were an invention sent directly by God.”

He snorted. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” She sat up and reached out for the syrup. “And you had fun tonight?”

“I did.” Steve nodded. “I honestly was freaking out a bit, but I did.”

“Why were you freaking out?” Robin drowned her food in the syrup. Steve dropped to the floor and laid on his back, stretching his legs.

“I don’t know. I guess a part of me still… I don’t know.”

“I do. And me too.” Steve looked over and smiled at her. She always understood.

“I love you!” He said again.

“I got that.”

“I love you, Buckley, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you too, Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington. You make a hilarious drunk.”

“_You_ make a hilarious drunk. So, take that.” Robin snorted and plopped a pancake down right on Steve’s face.

“Eat!”

“Could you imagine if my parents walked in right now?” He asked beneath the pancake. Robin burst out laughing. He sat up, leaning against the cupboard door next to her, and pressed their knees together as they ate. Robin rested her head back against the wood.

“It could be like this all the time.” She said into the silence.

“What?”

“If we got an apartment together.”

“We would be pretty great roommates.”

“Yeah?” Robin rolled her head sidewards to look at him.

“Yeah, yeah. You would study at ultra-genius school for the gifted,” Robin snorted at that, “and I would find some super well-paying job and just get, just, crazy rich. And you would get home from your classes and I would get home from work and we would split takeout and talk about our awesomely hot dates and amazing jobs and do each other’s hair.”

“You would let me touch the world-famous Harrington hair?” She lifted and dropped a lock between her fingers.

“That is how much I love you, yes.” His voice took on a dreamy quality. He slid his back down the door until he was lying once more. God, it felt good to lay on the floor, why was that? “We would be ‘Steve-and-Robin’, you know.”

“’Robin-and-Steve.’” Robin corrected. She let herself glide down as she talked to join him. “And I would get plants for the apartment that we would both forget to water. And we would complain about our annoying neighbours. And you would try help me study and I would come home to a sock or a tie on the door most nights,” Steve snorted at that, “and we would watch murder mysteries and always guess the killer right before the big reveal.” Steve smiled.

“Our building wouldn’t allow pets, but we would sneak in a dog anyway. And we would go out to bars and wingman each other. Better than we did tonight. We are both wicked hot so it will be easy. And when you did inevitably find some amazing wife and adopt a whole bunch of kid’s I would be right there, Uncle Steve, ready to spoil the shit out of them and tell them about that time mummy Robin grinded on a woman named Sandra in a club.” Robin laughed so hard she grabbed her stomach. She bent her knees and tilted her body so they rested on where his were splayed out, straight.

“And when you find some incredible wife and she pushes out a whole bunch of Steve 2.0’s, I will be Aunt Robin, ready to make sure they don’t turn into popular douchebags like their father. And I want to teach them Spanish or Italian.”

“Hey, talking about douchebag me - that’s against our rules.” Steve reprimanded, but he slid his hand into hers. The two of them grinned at the ceiling. “That sounds nice, still.”

“Yeah, it does.”


	3. Steve and Robin are free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not intend to write about them getting drunk two chapters in a row (I don't really drink that much irl) but that's just how the story worked out whoops  
Also I took the breadcrumbs about Steve's shitty parents and spun my own story around them, because I am desperate for it to be expanded upon in the show  
I hope you enjoy!

Robin graduated on a Friday. She wore the stupid hat and stood in a line for far too long, as a whole bunch of different faculty members in robes called out a whole bunch of student’s names until, finally, she had the dumb piece of paper in her hand. Some of her friend’s cried. She judged them, then wondered if she was messed up for not really feeling… anything. It almost felt like just another day to her. She wondered if it will all hit her later, or if in the wake of last year things like graduating would always seem trivial. Her parent’s came, of course, their obligated to, but they are busy people and it’s Steve who picked her up after the celebration.

She clambered into his car, taking the cap off instantly and throwing it blindly into his messy backseat.

“I’m free!” She cried, shaking out her hair.

“You’re free!” He laughed. She got out her graduation certificate and mockingly held it out dramatically for him to peruse. He held a finger to his chin and scanned the page with his eyes. “Checks out, Miss Buckley.”

“God I am _ready_ to not have to spend every second of my day studying for the next couple months.” She clicked in her seatbelt and he peeled away from the curb.

“And I am ready to take those seconds and fill them with music and food and alcohol and weed and friendship and movies.”

“God, no more movies. I have had enough movies to last a lifetime.”

Dustin and the rest of Steve’s children were in their first year of high school, so they had been at her graduation (she had waved at them from the stage) but they had gone their separate ways afterwards. They met up at a cheap burger place. Lucas had been able to get a casual job at a clothing store a month or two ago. Mike, Dustin and Max swore that they would start looking for work now that school was out, but Robin wasn’t holding her breath. Steve and she would have to pay.

“Robin!” The kids cried when the two of them walked in. Dustin hugged her and she gave a polite wave to the rest.

“Congrats, Robin.” Max smiled.

“Yeah, congrats.” Mike parroted. They all got settled down at a table.

“It’s total bullshit we only got one year with you.” Lucas sighed. “I wanted you to help tutor me.”

“You won’t need me.” Robin reassured him. “And I will always be a call away if you really want to talk.”

“Okay,” Steve interrupted, hitting his palms on the table lightly, “what’s everyone getting?”

Steve took their orders up to the counter while the rest of the kids asked Robin question after question about what she was going to do next year, where she was going to study, what course was she aiming for, etc. She felt slightly overwhelmed because, honestly, she still had no idea. She realised that every casual, small talk conversation she had for the next few months was going to be like that.

Steve came back to their table, a tray of food balanced on each hand. Robin took one to help him set them down and suddenly there were hands everywhere as people fought for their food. She literally saw Max shove Mike’s hand out of the way for a burger. Robin ended up with small fries even though she had ordered a medium and she was sure Lucas wasn’t the one who asked for that hash brown.

Robin and Steve sat at opposing ends of the table with the kids scattered between them. She was deep in discussion with Mike about a movie that had came out earlier that year, Aliens, when a voice cut through the crowd.

“Harrington?” The whole group turned towards who had spoken. It was Tommy, a boy Robin vaguely remembered from her days of being obsessed with Steve. He had been even more of a dick than Steve was, almost psychotically so. “This is who you are hanging out with now? A bunch of middle schoolers and Bucktooth Buckley? Don’t tell me you’re dating her now? First Nancy goddamn Wheeler, now this?”

Steve stood up so fast his chair scrapped the ground. Robin knew that look in his eye. She quickly walked across the table and grabbed his arm.

“He is not worth it.” She stared obstinately at him. Steve’s nostrils flared but he tore his eyes from Tommy to look at her. She squeezed his wrist. To be honest, Robin was itching to let Tommy know what was on her mind, but what she wanted wasn’t important right now.

“Wow, you have sunk even lower than I thought was possible, man. I’m almost impressed.”

“Why don’t you fuck off.” Mike scoffed. Maybe the comment about his sister had gotten to him. 

“Who the hell even are you?” Tommy laughed. He had his hands in a bomber jacket, standing casual without a care in the world. Robin watched as the whole party rounded on him. She marvelled at how devoted they were too each other.

“Who the hell are you, picking a fight with the six of us?” Max challenged, a protective hand on Mike’s shoulder.

“I’m not looking for a fight. I just wanted to talk to an old friend.” Tommy smirked. “An old friend who apparently needs a whole bunch of nerdy twelve-year old’s to defend him.”

“I don’t need anyone to defend me.” Steve started advancing on him, but Robin tightened her grip on his arm.

“Steve.” She warned.

“Yeah!” Dustin cried. “You should have seen him kick this guys ass last year!”

“Please, who’s ass?”

“Well… I… I can’t tell you.” Dustin cringed. Tommy scoffed and rolled his eyes. His order was called at the counter.

“Right. Of course, you can’t. See you around, _losers_.” His voice was full of bite, the last part was snarled looking directly at Steve. He grabbed his meal and left. They had drawn the attention of a few of the other customers, but at Tommy’s departure they seemed to realise nothing interesting was going to happen and went back to their own food.

“What an asshole.” Lucas said, disgusted.

“Welcome to high school.” Robin said bitterly. She turned back to Steve, who was tense and fuming. “You okay?”

“Forget him.” Steve said, not quite looking at her. “He’s just a prick for the sake of it.”

“People who try hurt others like that more often than not have their own stuff going on.” Max offered. She was smiling at them, but there was a sadness to it Robin didn’t want to think about.

“Yeah, and Tommy’s problem is that his parents have too much money and let him do what he wants.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Let’s just forget about it. Tell me more about this Amber, Dustin.”

They all settled back into their original seats. Robin regretted sitting so far away from Steve. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him, make him laugh, _something_. But Mike shook his head, almost to clear it, then continued talking about his thoughts on the special effects in Aliens, and Robin tried to pull her focus back to him. 

-

After the kids had been picked up or dropped home, Steve and Robin stole a bottle of his parent’s fancy vodka and some mixers, shoved them in a backpack, and went out on a walk. Steve seemed to have an idea of where to go and lead Robin out into the dark of the night.

“Steve, dude, I’ve graduated. I am officially done with high school _forever_. How insane is that?” Robin’s voice was full of awe. She walked backwards, a little ahead of him.

“Until you get accepted into a billion universities over the next few weeks and head straight back into studying.”

“Just let me bask, dingus. Let me bask.” She closed her eyes and spread her arms out. She listened to him laugh.

“That wasn’t exactly my response to graduating.”

“What was your response?” He pulled the vodka out of his bag and shook it at her.

“I went to an after party at Jessica T’s, thought about how fucked my future was, and then I don’t really remember the rest.” He stuffed the bottle back down as a car passed. Robin rolled her eyes and turned so she was next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“I feel like I can finally start living my life, you know. I feel like I have been paused, all these years, and now I can do what I want to, be who I want to, hang out with who I want to.”

“Date who you want to?”

“Maybe soon.”

“All of that’s true. I think I just realised it far too late.” Steve admitted.

“No, none of that. We are getting happy drunk tonight.” Robin scolded. He flashed her sad eyes. “You need to stop letting yourself soak in your bad decisions. You can do what you want to as well, you are free too.”

“I’ve been free for two years and I haven’t don’t much with it.”

“You fought monsters and Russians. You made some awesome fucking friends. You went to Lucy’s.” They had agreed to call the Lucky Lucy gay bar ‘Lucy’ when in Hawkins, it saved them a lot of trouble. She hoped he knew what she meant, and by the way his face relaxed he seemed to. “You will figure out what you want to do eventually, but that doesn’t mean your life right now, right this second, isn’t awesome.” Steve didn’t seem convinced. “Besides, I don’t know what I want to do, either, and I need to decide in like the next two weeks. I should be the one freaking out about that.” 

Steve went to say something, but instead he span them harshly and, while Robin stumbled, cried: “Wait, we need to turn here.”

“Where are you taking me?” She asked, laughing as she was led by him. He was mysteriously silent, so she tried to think about all the major places located the direction they were heading. “Wait… no…”

“Yup,” Steve ran his hand through his hair. Robin groaned.

“I just got out of there, Steve, you could have waited more than, like, 12 hours before dragging me back.”

“I’m not dragging you back. You need to say goodbye properly.”

“Properly.” Robin was unimpressed.

“Yes. You need to break onto the school football oval, get plastered, and yell one, big, loud, fuck you to Hawkins High.”

Robin raised her eyebrows. “A goodbye I could get on board with.”

A few minutes later, Steve showed her that the chain link fence was broken where it connected to the supply shed. He passed her his bag filled with the drinks and held up the fence for her. She crept under, careful not to get her hair or clothes caught. Then, she placed the bag on the ground and did the same for him. After he had ducked under, he slung their drinks over his shoulder again and they started walking.

It was late but the moon was full and bright so they could make their way to the centre of the field without tripping but, hopefully, remain unseen. Steve set their stuff down next to some faded white lines in the grass. They sat facing each other.

“I always thought you were more of a prep popular, not a jock popular.” She said as she got out a plastic bottle. She got him to hold it steady as she carefully poured some vodka into it.

“I was, I guess, but Tommy was a jock and he used to ditch using that hole all the time. That’s what reminded me it existed.” Robin stayed watching him carefully as she got out the orange juice, only taking her eyes away to make sure she didn’t spill any. “Seeing him today caught me really off guard.”

“He is a prick. Trust me.” She screwed the lid on her bottle tight and started shaking it. “He is going to end up working at a gas station with a wife who hates him and, like, three illegitimate children. Totally peaked in high school.” Her words only made him frown harder. He took the bottle of vodka and took a hard swing, straight. “Hey! I want to use that too!” She cried as he cringed at the taste.

“Just one more.” He said, then gulped it down again, recoiling once more.

“Dingus! Stop getting your gross germs all over it.” She swiped the bottle from him. He dropped his head into his hands. “Man, seeing him today really got to you, huh?”

“Sorry, today is meant to be about you and your future.” He sighed. Robin frowned.

“You have a future.” She shuffled over to him.

“Do I? Because I think I totally peaked in high school right alongside Tommy. Am I going to end up working at a video store with a wife who hates me and a bunch of illegitimate kids? Because that feels like it’s becoming a real possibility.”

“Okay, you are being ridiculous. First,you've basically adopted Dustin and I think he would get jealous if you go and have a bunch of children on him. Second, you have grown almost every day you have been away from this place.” She motioned towards the school and he lifted his head from his hands weakly. “Not the other way around. Third, you are so much fucking better than Tommy fucking H. Tommy hasn’t saved my life over and over. He hasn’t worked the way you have to make things right. You are going to be an incredible man, Steve. No, screw that, you _are_ an incredible man.” He frowned.

“Honestly? If anything, seeing him today, acting like that, reminding me off all that I used to be, made me so grateful for all I have now. But there is still this part of me,” he motioned towards his chest, “that still just _cares_, so deeply about what everyone thinks about me. What if I never outgrow that?”

“Everyone care’s about what others think of them a little. We pretend we don’t, but we do.”

“I don’t want to be different.” He admitted quietly. Shit, was he tearing up? Robin grabbed his hand.

“Different is _good_, Steve. Neither of us are in high school anymore, _actually_ having a personality is a good thing now. You don’t have to pretend you don’t want the things you’ve been told you can’t have.”

“We’re free, right?”

“Right.” Both knew that wasn’t true. They still lived in a town that was as small in mind as it was in size, and both still had secrets to the brim. “I mean, we have each other. We have friends who listen to us and accept what we have to say for what it is. And we know we can always be as different as we want around each other. I know you, Steve, maybe more than you know yourself. You will _never_ be one of those popular, boring douchebags that peaked in high school. You outgrew that role a long time ago, and I think you need to understand that.”

Steve opened his mouth and then shut it, and then opened and shut it again. He was staring at the grass. 

“I feel like it’s okay to be different around you.” He said eventually. “I’ve never felt like that around someone, not really. And I think you are right, I think we do genuinely _know_ each other and I've never had that before either... Like, do you remember when you came out to me? Everything that I’d done in the past told you I wouldn’t handle it well, but you understood me, and you liked me, and you did it anyway.”

“I remember.” Robin said softly. She thought she knew where he was going with this. When Steve was quiet for a long time, she brought her other hand up, so they were both clasping his. He closed his eyes and she bit her lip as she watched a tear fall.

“I think I like guys.” He admitted, barely a whisper. “And I… I don’t want to. But…” He broke off and rubbed his face with the heel of his hand. Robin’s heart hammered in her chest. She had never seen him cry before; not even when they were literally being tortured.

“Steve, I think you are definitely different to Tommy H.” She whispered, squeezing his hand. He barked out a wet laugh. She nodded. “I think his head would _explode_ if he were here right now. How fun would that be to watch?” He chuckled, and Robin liked watching him laugh so she smiled. This why they clicked so well, they both _needed_ to be able to laugh at the heavy shit and they knew they could with each other.

“Pretty fun.”

“I asked Olivia about, you know, liking both.” If she was being honest, ever since their first tip to Lucy’s, and the few they'd had since, Robin had possessed her suspicions about Steve.

“You did?”

“Yeah. I guess I am getting better at spotting us in the wild.”

“Us.” Steve stared blankly ahead of him. Robin rushed to continue.

“Bisexual. That’s what she told me. Liking, uh, multiple genders.”

“Oh.” Steve said nothing more.

“We don’t have to talk about this anymore if you don’t want.” Robin wiped the wetness on his cheeks with her thumbs. Steve gave a small nod, still staring ahead. Robin didn’t think drinking was a good idea right now, so she tried to think of something else.

“Rebecca came into the video store asking for you the other day, have I told you this yet?”

“She what!” He turned to her ludicrously. Even in the dark she could see how red-stained his eyes and cheeks were.

“Yeah,” Robin laughed, “she wanted to know if you had gone on holiday or moved and if that’s why you hadn’t called her back in weeks.”

“Oh my god.”

“’We had such a magical time together, Robin!’” She put on a high-pitched voice. “’You just don’t understand him like I do, he wouldn’t have just left me hanging like this.’”

“Left her hanging! I, very politely, told her I wasn’t feeling a connection!” Steve cried. He motioned to himself with a sweep of his free hand. “Gentleman!”

“Well, too bad, dingus, because I told her you were in Paris.” She snorted. She rested her elbow on the bend of his knees and took a swig of her drink.

“Why would you do that? I am going to see her at the grocery store or something and it’s going to be so awkward.”

“Yup,” Robin smacked her lips together, “have fun with that.”

She took another sip of her mixed vodka. Steve held out his hand for it, wiggling his fingers impatiently when she hesitated.

“You are like two shots ahead of me.” She scolded. He took the plastic bottle from her and placed the glass one in her empty hand.

“Bottoms up, then, Buckley.”

She eyed the drink warily – shots weren’t really her thing – but not one to be out done, and a little impulsive, she unscrewed the cap and downed a gulp like Steve had done. It burned her throat and Steve chuckled as she coughed a little. She glared at him, then took the second shot without hesitating. She shook her head with a scrunched-up expression as she put the cap back on.

“There we go.” She said. “Now mix your own damn drink.”

-

Robin rode her bike to Steve’s house a few days later. She had crashed at his place after the night on the school oval but hadn’t seen him since. When she got there, she was surprised to see two expensive looking cars out the front. One she recognised from a few months ago, but the other was newer. Steve’s parents were home.

She had only met them once. That day she hadn’t really taken notice of the car out the front and had sauntered in after she had finished school.

“You will never believe what Sally Saunders said to me after band today!” She had yelled as she let herself in. She had grabbed chips from his cupboard, thrown her school bag on the table and walked right into the living room, still shouting. “Apparently Luke Jacobs has a crush on Melanie –“ and there they had been, staring at her as she yelled while eating their food.

His father was clearly a businessman, with a dark moustache and sharp features which had been fixed on her in a tight glare. His mother was an average looking woman with frizzy hair and tired eyes. She was where Steve got all his bone structure. Steve himself had been standing in front of them, clearly riled up. He looked at Robin with wide eyes as she floundered, before eventually stuttering: “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Nice to meet you both.”

She had left in such a humiliated hurry she forgot to put the chips back, which had embarrassed her more. Steve hadn’t said much about it after other than the fact that his dad was a complete asshole.

She wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, so at the sight of the cars she decided wait until she saw Steve at their shift this afternoon.

Their parents were similar in a lot of ways. Robin had been a naturally closed off, sarcastic child, which wasn’t helped by the fact that her parents were not invested in helping her open up. They were distracted constantly, her father with work, and her mother with her appearance or the gossip of the other women her age. They were physically there, but they might as well have not been. They rarely made family meals and made Robin bike herself to school most days. She had essentially raised herself; it was one of the things Steve and she had bonded over back when they had started hanging out in non-life-threatening situations.

At least hers were amiable and pretended to be parents, however. Steve’s mother and father seemed to be constantly out of the house on various work or personal trips. Steve had alluded to the fact that he thought his father was cheating but had never really gone into it. Instead of closing himself off, as Robin had, Steve had tried to reach out to others, volume over value when it came to friends. As a result, he had ended up completely miserable for several years, until the incident with Nancy and Jonathan.

“You make this house feel alive more than the _crowds_ of people I had over in school.” He had said when they were high one night. She hadn’t forgotten it.

Robin wondered why his parents were home now. They were rarely at their actual house for more than a week at a time at the most. It was great for Robin, who was practically living there, and Steve acted like it was great for him, but Robin knew that wasn’t true.

Steve was almost fifteen minutes late to their shift a few hours later. She heard his car door slam and knew instantly that he had gotten into a fight with his dad, as he often did when his parents were home. She was busy with a customer, so she watched as Steve stormed into the store and made a bee-line for the backroom.

“This is the one, take it.” She said to the woman in front of her.

“Are you sure, because I’m not sure if I liked this actor in –“

“Ma’am, you have been looking for almost half an hour now. This is the one.” Robin was probably being too forceful, but it got the lady to agree and get out the store. She went to find Steve and saw him sitting on a sealed box, staring angrily in front of him.

“You trying to burn a hole in the wall?” She joked. He just looked at her in confusion, so she stared super hard and shook her head a little.

“Oh. No.” That’s it?

“Shit, that bad, huh?”

“What?”

“I saw your parents are here. Did something happen?” She asked, leaning against the door frame. He picked up a piece of lint from his worn work shirt and flicked it across the room.

“They are getting a divorce.” He spat.

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, oh shit.” He stood up and started pacing. “I’m just so, so _angry_, you know. Like they obviously fell out of love years ago, but they wait until now, _now¸ _to pull this shit. They wait until I actually fucking need some support to part ways, to sell the house –“

“They’re selling the house?”

“Yeah, because ‘no one uses it’, apparently.” He did the most forceful air quotes Robin had ever seen. “I swear they go out of their way to not see me. They aren’t even being subtle about forcing me out of their lives anymore.” He scoffed bitterly. “First my dad refuses to hire me, and now this. I swear it’s like every time he see’s me I just do something new to remind him how big a disappointment I am and he need's to punish me. It’s bullshit!”

Robin listened, processing and letting him get it out of his system. She had hoped that after he had confided in her the other night he would stop being so down on himself, but apparently seeing his parents again had pulled him right back to where he started.

“I feel like I should be upset, or crying, but I just feel like punching something. Got any extra Russians handy? I hate that he makes me feel like this. I hate that she does nothing about him pulling this shit.”

Robin shut the door and sat where he had been on the unopened box, customers be damned. He stopped and turned to her.

“What if that’s it, you know? What if they get rid of their house, they get rid of me, and then they just disappear, and I never see them again. What if the last time I see them is this big fight and that’s just it for the rest of my life.” Steve seemed to run out of steam. He went and sat next to her. “This is going to be so fucking bad.” His voice was suddenly incredibly insecure. Robin cleared her throat, thinking. She fidgeted with one of her bracelets.

“Plenty of couples get divorced.” She started, but instantly knew that was the wrong approach. She took a breath and tried again. “What do you need me to do right now?”

Steve rested his elbows on his knees and gazed over at her sadly. She could tell he was thinking.

“I think… it’s just going to be bad for a while. And I need to figure out what I am going to do, and I need you to be yourself with me, totally normal.”

“I can do that, dingus.” Robin nodded. Steve let himself smile a little.

“Exactly.”

-

Days later and Robin was practically buzzing with energy as she sped as fast as she could towards the Family Video Store. It was her turn to be late to work, unfortunately, but she had a good reason. An acceptance letter fluttered in her hand which she gripped carefully. Her bike tires whined as she peeled to a stop in front of the door, before throwing it to the ground and sprinting inside.

“I got into the University of Chicago!” She cried to Steve, who was zoning out behind the counter.

“You got into the University of Chicago!” He yelled back, perking up instantly. He ran across the store and picked her up, spinning her around. She curled her body around him as she laughed. “You got into the University of Chicago!”

“I got into the University of Chicago!”

“We’re going to Chicago!”

“We going to – wait, we?”

“Yes – we!” Steve stopped spinning her around and set her on the floor, beaming. His hair was _wild. _She gripped his arms as the world readjusted, then looked up at him, frowning.

“You want to come to Chicago with me?”

“Of course.” His voice switched from sincere to light-hearted in an instant. “Who else is going to insult me so much. I need you to keep me modest.” Robin thought she had been complimenting him more often than not, recently, but a grin broke over her face, nonetheless.

“So, we are going to Chicago?”

“We are going to Chicago, baby.” He picked her up and the customers gawked as he started spinning her again.


	4. Steve and Robin move to Chicago

Steve’s dad left a few days later. 

“He had a ‘problem to attend to in New Jersey.’” Steve explained bitterly. “I wonder if that’s how he talks about me, ‘I have a problem to attend to in Hawkins.’” He had put on an overly exaggeratedly calm expression and deepened his voice in a way that had made Robin laugh.

His mother had gone that weekend. She claimed something about visiting one of her sisters and that she would be back in a few days, which Steve knew was a massive lie. She, at least, had tried to console him about them selling the house, but when he had resisted, she had given up disappointingly quick. Steve wanted nothing more than for her to put the work into making sure he was okay, but sincerely parenting wasn’t her style. She left the second her appointments with a local real estate agent were done. The house was to go on the market in two weeks.

It was a lovely day, so Robin and Steve had set themselves up on the chairs in his back yard, near the pool. He realised that he had barely been out there since the Barb went missing years ago, and enjoying the space now made him feel almost guilty. They had brochures, pamphlets and booklets spread out all around them. Different pages were bookmarked with sticky notes and select titles and clubs had been highlighted.

Robin had ultimately decided to go further with her language studies. It was what she excelled at most, and she was sure that there was no shortage of a market for a translator or interpreter across the country. Steve and Robin would never admit it, but the two of them had gotten the idea while she was translating a random Spanish telenovela to him in live time. It was riveting.

Despite their set up, they were taking a break when Dustin, Max, Lucas and Mike came over. Robin was repainting her nails and Steve was sunbaking and updating her on how his parents selling the house and forcing him out was going when the pack of them climbed over the side fence.

“Told you I heard them back here!” Dustin yelled.

“What the hell!” Steve pushed his sunglasses up into his hair and sat up as the four of them helped each other break into his backyard.

“You said we could get lunch today, but then you didn’t open your door.” Max said from the top of the gate as Lucas cupped his hands to help her footing.

“You didn’t open the door, Steve.” Robin said to him with a raised an eyebrow as she blew on her nails.

“Shit, I forgot about lunch, guys. I am so sorry.”

“It’s all good.” Lucas said.

“What’s all this?” Mike asked, motioning to all their open university resources.

“We are trying to figure out which electives I should apply too, and which clubs I should join.” Robin smiled at them.

“You chose a place?” Max asked. The four of them got comfortable in various places without really asking for an invitation.

“The University of Chicago.” Steve said.

“It’s only a three-hour drive away, so you can come visit us on weekends and breaks, or vice versa.” Robin added. Seemingly satisfied with her nails (Steve knew they were going to get chipped again within the hour), she started tiding up her things.

“Us?” Dustin frowned. Robin looked over at Steve.

“You haven’t told them.”

Shit.

“I was… getting around to it.”

“Jesus Christ, Steve, we leave in like three weeks.”

“We!” Dustin was far louder this time. He glared at Steve, who suddenly felt guilty.

“I’m, sort of, going with Robin to Chicago.” He delivered hesitantly, knowing how their response would go.

“What!” All four of the teens flew up at the same time. It was almost funny to watch.

“You are leaving in less than a month?” Lucas said.

“And you waited until now to tell us?” Mike finished.

“I wasn’t sure how to!” Steve admitted.

“I can’t believe this.” Dustin started pacing.

“Like Robin said, you can come and visit us, or we will come down to you!”

“You two aren’t even dating,” Mike said, “and you are moving across the country with her.”

“Three hours!” Robin was exasperated.

“I had just accepted Robin was leaving us.” Max said. “First El and Will, now you two. Who is going to be left?”

That seemed to simmer their anger. A sad silence settled over the back yard. Steve looked over at Robin imploringly, begging her with her eyes to do something. She bit her lip, eyes looking around quickly before they lit up with an idea. She motioned subtly with her head to the pool.

“We just need to take full advantage of the time we have together!” Steve stood up and rubbed his hands together. He could be charming when he needed to be. “How about a pool party?”

“You said we weren’t allowed in the pool.” Lucas frowned.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” Max cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him off. “We will be back with bathing suits in twenty!”

Mike seemed to perk up at the news as well. He sprinted after them and the three of them disappeared behind the gate.

Dustin hadn’t moved. He was still frowning.

“You’re moving.” He said it as a fact.

“Yeah, I’m moving.”

“Three hours away.”

“I’m sorry, bud.”

“It’s okay. I get it. Kind of.” Dustin tried, but he couldn’t keep the hurt out of his voice. Steve felt his heart squeeze and he pulled the kid into a hug. He _needed_ Dustin to understand. He was so close to explaining the whole situation, how Robin loved him more than his parents ever could, when Dustin pulled back. He was wiping his eyes. “I am going to visit you every weekend.”

“I know.”

“And I am making you get a radio. I’ll contact you with Cerebro like every day.”

“I mean, hopefully I will have a phone over there.”

“You two are so cute.” Robin laughed from where she was still reclined her chair.

“I’m going to go get a swimsuit like the others.” Dustin said awkwardly. It was clear in the way he carried himself out he was still a little sad. 

“Well great, now I have to host a pool party.” Steve rubbed his forehead. Robin laughed.

“I can’t believe I haven’t used your pool the entire time we have been friends. And right before we leave, too.” She got up and started collecting the booklets. “We can finish this later. I think I already know what I’m going to do anyway. Just let me go get a suit as well and I will be back to help you entertain your kids.”

“Thanks, Aunt Robin.” He said, thinking about that drunken night after Lucky Lucy’s as she left.

-

Steve can honestly say handing in their two week notice at the Family Video Store was the best day of his life so far. He and Robin hadn’t been able to quit Scoops Ahoy, but after seeing the look on Keith’s face he sure wished they had.

Their last few shifts are some of the most fun. Robin and Steve didn’t really care about being fired anymore. Robin gave up all pretence of politeness and spent most of her time behind the counter, shrugging when customers asked her questions. Steve spent most of his time throwing M&M’s up into the air to see how many he could catch in his mouth. A lot landed on the floor. They both got told off several times by Keith, but once he was gone, they would just look at each other and giggle.

Dustin had insisted on throwing a going away party for them, then insisted that Mike host since he had the biggest house. Robin and Steve had barely stepped a foot in the door when he accosted them with party hats and secured them to each of their heads.

“The hair, man!” Steve cried, but he let him do it. If he adjusted it in the mirror later, no one needed to know. The entirety of Dustin’s friend group was there. Mrs. Wheeler, who had always liked Steve, was serving small finger foods. They were all wearing similar triangle party hats. It was lame, but at the same time funny and uniting. Robin snapped the elastic on his and laughed like a twelve-year old girl as he tried to do the same to her.

Steve spent most of the night talking with Dustin. He had a crush on a new girl named Amber, and he thought she liked him too. He said that he was going to ask her out during the Christmas break and needed some advice, which Steve was happy to give. Steve told him all about their new place and the courses Robin had decided to take. They both, if he was being honest, came close to crying a couple times. When they hugged each other goodbye, it probably lasted a lot longer and was a lot tighter than it should have been.

At the end of the night, Nancy even came down and said goodbye to them. Mike had told her they were leaving together. She gave Robin a hug and kissed Steve on the cheek, which was confusing as hell, before they left. Robin had watched him carefully as they walked away but Steve had just smiled reassuringly at her. _I’m fine_, he tried to telepathically communicate_. _Nancy was an important person to him, and always will be, but she was a part of his past, now. He was ready for his future.

-

They had decided on a starter apartment with a small layout: two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen which led into a dining/living room. It was cheap and within riding distance of Robin’s new campus (although she wouldn’t start for a month and a half yet) and that was what was important. Steve had let Robin and her parents handle a lot of the finances, but from what he could tell they could make the application fee and first few payments, but they would both have to find jobs as quickly as possible once they got there.

It was pre-furnished, thankfully, which meant that Steve and Robin could take their belongings down using just his car. They had pitched in together to get it an official bike rack, because the way they were currently transporting her bike definitely wouldn’t fly over in a busy city with far better law enforcement. Robin had her license, technically, she just admitted she doesn’t like driving that much and hadn’t bothered with buying a car.

They packed up Robins stuff first. He had only been in her room a handful of times because they mostly hung out at Steve’s place. Her wall was covered in movie posters, and he will admit a particular print of Kelly Mcgillis caught his eye. They packed up her books and memorabilia first, including some of the posters. Then she moved onto her clothes (she needed to be the one who decided what was brought and what was donated) while he folded up her bedding.

“Man,” he heard her say behind him. He turned to see her holding an open instrument case. “I annoyed my parent’s so much with this.”

“Are you taking it with us?” He asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Noise complaints, mostly.” She snorted at him.

“It’s coming. It won’t sound nearly as good without the other instruments, but I will try dazzle you with it anyway.”

She seemed to be torn up a little at the sight of the plain walls, empty closet and sparse bed sheets, but she didn’t say anything, so he didn’t ask. She was leaving directly from Steve’s house the next morning, so her parents said goodbye to her when they left that afternoon. There were a lot of hugs which seemed polite and mandatory and a distant “make sure you call!”

Steve’s place was next. Various rooms throughout his house were in boxes or empty anyway. A couple had officially brought it a few days ago - surprisingly quick, Steve thought - and Steve’s father had hired people to move everything out. It was to be put in storage until they decided who got what in the divorce.

In comparison, his room had a lot less personality than Robin’s. They tried to follow the same system, but he only had three books total in his room, all mandatory for school, none of which he wanted to take. He didn’t exactly have any figurines or instruments or… hobbies like she did.

It was only when they had finished and were doing a final sweep of his room when he saw something. He had laid down on his stomach to check under his bed.

“Hey, look what I found,” he yelled over his shoulder. He shimmed further under until he could roll it out. His old basketball. Steve grabbed it and hopped up, flicking it from hand to hand. “Man, I haven’t played in so long.” He tried to toss it at her, but she failed to catch it despite being about six feet from him and it hit the wall with a solid thud. He laughed at her and she laughed at him.

He didn’t pack it.

-

They got all their belongings, save a change of clothes and their toiletries, into Steve’s car. They had spent almost an hour getting the bike rack on, then realised not everything was going to fit in the back seat and had to take it off again to open the boot. With everything packed up tight, when they finally collapsed, exhausted, it was in his living room. It was one of the few rooms not touched yet, and they had decided to sleep on couches.

Even though Robin had slept at his house probably a hundred times, in the same bed as him most of those nights, there was something about that particular set up which made Steve feel like a primary school kid having a sleepover and it left him a little giddy.

“This time tomorrow we will be in Chicago.” Robin was whispering even though there was no one else in the house.

“Yeah, we will. Are you ready?”

“Not at all.”

-

The backseat was so full of tetris-ed boxes and bags that Steve couldn’t see out the back. Robin had to wind down her window and lean her entire upper body out to direct him out of the long driveway.

“Wait! Harder left! Yeah that’s it, no, now you’re too close to the curb… ok… go… go… and you’re good!” She climbed back in and buckled her seatbelt. Steve drove away from his house for the last time.

“I’m sure that’s safe.” He said sarcastically.

“We will be fine! You drove with my bike blocking your back window for like a year and we are still here.”

“Sound logic, Buckley. Aren’t you meant to be the smart one?” She rolled her eyes at him and got out the map. It took up almost her entire half of the car when she unfolded it, and then she almost elbowed him when she had to turn it the right way up.

“Okay…it looks like there are a couple of main turns until we hit the country road, then its straight for, like, forever.”

“Sound’s easy enough.”

Steve drove almost on autopilot to the edge of town, knowing the neighbourhood practically by heart. It hit him that he wouldn’t have that in Chicago, that he would have to relearn a whole new neck of the woods. Robin groaned when they passed a sign reading ‘now leaving HAWKINS come back soon!’

“I am going to throw up.” She said with her eyes closed.

“You can wind down a window?” Steve offered.

“I’m not carsick, dingus. I’ve never even been outside of Indiana before, and now I’m going to _live_ in Illinois, and I will probably never move back. I’m freaking out a bit.” She shifted in her chair. “How are you not?”

“I am on the inside,” Steve admitted, “but I’m trying to view it all as a new adventure.”

“There won’t be any Russians or interdimensional portals in Chicago, Steve.”

“What is life, if not the ultimate adventure.” Robin just snorted at him.

“I’m breaking out the road trip snacks.” She declared, officially changing the subject.

-

“Wait, shit, that was our turn.” Robin hissed.

“Seriously! That was the third one you’ve missed.”

“You’re the one who keeps distracting me with all your stupid stories.”

“The first one you missed because you were taking a drink of your coffee. You literally learnt Russian in like a day, but you can’t navigate a driver?”

“I didn’t _learn_ Russian, I…” She broke off with a sigh. “You want to switch, Harrington?”

“I do, actually.” Steve leant across the dashboard and tried to grab the map from her. It crinkled as she quickly pulled it to the side.

“Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road!” Robin slapped his reaching hand lightly. He returned to the wheel with a huff. She smoothed out the paper exaggeratedly, keeping her eyes firm on him out of spite. “Just let me work out another route.”

They probably ended up adding an extra twenty or thirty minutes to their trip just trying to get out of Indiana.

They had left midmorning, so they decided to get brunch at a diner about halfway through the trip. Steve pulled into the next gas station. There were three trucks off to the side, with their owners smoking nearby. There was a family of five being led from an RV by exhausted looking parents. Steve pulled into a car park far away from both of those parties and they went inside.

“If someone stole the car right now, we would literally be left with nothing.” Robin whispered morbidly.

“Why would you say that?” Steve shook his head at her. They ordered basic gas station food – two chicken sandwiches and two Coca-Cola’s – and got set up at one of the tables.

“I can drive the second half, if you need.” Robin offered.

“That would be great.” Steve had never seen Robin driving before. He checked his watch. “Hopefully we should get there around 2, which will give us plenty of time to unpack the essentials before dinner.”

“That feels so _official_.” Robin squeezed her eyebrows together disbelievingly, forehead crinkling. “It keeps hitting me, you know, that we are going to be _living together_-living together.”

“I mean, we basically already did. Now we just have to pay for it.”

“God don’t remind me.” Robin dropped her face into her hands. Her hair fell over her fingers.

Over the top of her head, Steve saw someone new in the line. It was a man a few years older than him, maybe twenty-five, with dark stubble and a motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm. He had a leather jacket on, but a flannel shirt underneath and a kind smile which softened his look a lot. He was… well… wow…

One of the large family’s kids came running out of the bathroom, loudly, and Robins head snapped up. Steve realised he had been staring at the same moment Robin did. She raised an eyebrow and span around – not indirectly, may he add – to see what he had been looking at. When she turned back to him her eyes were a bit wider and he took a sip of his Coke to avoid her gaze. A mere few months ago he could have brushed his interest off as jealousy or admiration, even to himself. His heart beat against his ribs as he waited for her to say something. 

“You have any idea’s for new jobs?” She asked. Steve let out a breath as he felt himself relax. She had been high, or coming down from a high, when she came out to him, so he had waited until she was the one who mentioned it again, so they could talk about it on her terms. He was glad she was doing the same for him.

Because, honestly, he had no idea what to say. His stomach clenched at just the thought of it.

“Anything will be better than working for Keith.” He said.

“He wasn’t that bad.” Robin said, but her expression said otherwise.

When they had finished eating, Steve reluctantly handed over his keys to her. He stood outside the car and yelled directions at her so she could reverse out the carpark. Thank god there were no other vehicles around them, because she somehow managed to cross over two other separate spaces. He was horrified when he got back into the car.

Robin should never have gotten her license. She was assertive and fast, speeding down the country highway. If they were to crash, Steve thought morosely as he gripped the handle of his door, it would take people so long to find them because they were on a long stretch of empty road. The perks of that being, however, that there were rarely any cars around to witness when Robin strayed out of their lane a few feet before swerving to straighten the car with the tightest posture Steve had ever seen on her.

-

Finding their new building was one of the most stressful things Steve had ever done. The buildings in Chicago were tightly packed and _tall_, and they seemed to loom over them mockingly. He was in charge of directions now, but all of the roads looked the same, and he couldn’t see the street signs until they were too close, and Robin was in the wrong lane. The map got so condensed and busy in the city it would take him almost five minutes to simply find the street they were on sometimes. Robin definitely regretting switching from the navigator job. 

It was almost sad to watch the quality of the buildings steadily go down as they got close to their new apartment complex. A lot of confusion and yelling and laughing later, and Robin drove down a ramp into the garage on the lower level of their building. It was dark and filled with wide pillars and faded markings.

“We are so about to get robbed at knife point.” Robin whispered when she shut off the engine.

“You are such a downer today.”

“Literally everything I love is in this car right now, forgive me.”

Steve slung his main bag over his shoulder, Robin did the same, and they went to find the elevator upstairs. It was hidden right back over near the entrance of the car park, so it honestly took a while. Steve selected the floor he knew they were staying at, eight, but Robin just laughed at him and hit the ground floor. 

“We need to pick up our keys and sign in, dingus.”

“I knew that.”

The entrance was empty aside from a man with reading glasses and a newspaper behind the front counter.

“Hi, nice to meet you. We’re Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington. We are here to sign in for apartment 809.” Robin had her customer service voice on. Steve smiled at the man, but he knew his exhaustion showed on his face.

The man wasn’t impressed. He – his name tag read ‘Mr. Theo Oliver’ – handed over a set of forms to Steve on a clipboard with a pen tied to it on a string, then went right back to reading. The two of them got settled on a nearby sofa and dropped their bags on the floor. Steve handed the forms over to Robin and lent back, stretching out his legs and feeling his muscles sink into the chair.

“You are such a man.” Robin kicked his leg closest to her.

“I have been sitting in a car for almost,” he lifted his head to check the clock above Mr. Oliver’s head, “five hours now, wow.”

“Yeah, we really could have done that better.” Robin cringed.

“We can do better next time, I guess.” Steve closed his eyes again. A few minutes later, he was so close to falling asleep right there in the front lobby when he was shoved by Robin.

“I’ve paid, sleepy head.” She waved two sets of keys in front of his face.

“Thank you, Mr. Oliver.” Steve grabbed their bags.

“Like I told Miss. Buckley ‘ere," he, surprisingly, spoke with a heavier American accent than Steve was used to, "ya can switch to a single bedroom apartment any time ya want.”

“Oh, we aren’t –“

“Leave it.” Robin said with a tired wave of her hand. She took her bag from him.

Another rickety elevator ride later, and they were on their floor. Steve took it in; this was where he was going to be living now. That was his framed photo of an ocean, and his cream wallpaper, and his dark patch on the roof.

It was definitely a step down from his parent’s house.

“This one ours!” Robin said when they reached one of the doors. She turned and smiled over her shoulder at him when she turned one of the keys in the lock and threw open the door.

“How is it smaller than it looked in the pictures.” Steve said dryly. Robin also had a crease on her forehead. The front door opened right into the living room. There was a small television a few feet in front of them, and a small table and blue couch opposing it. There was an open arch way directly in Steve’s line of sight which led right into the kitchen. Robin walked over and opened a door on the other side of the room. Steve followed, nearly hitting his knees on the table.

It led into a hallway, and once they had turned the light on they saw three doors, two on the right and one on the left. A large cupboard sat at the end of the hallway. Robin went to open the doors and Steve peered over her shoulder. The right one led to their bathroom, and the two on the left side were their bedrooms. The furniture was all nice, if basic; a generic picture hanging here, a fake potted plant there. Robin dropped her bag down with a sigh at the doorway of the first bedroom.

“I guess this is our lives’ now. I’ll take this room.”

“It’s not that bad.” Steve tried to lift her spirits back up. “We just need to make it our own.” He dropped his effects in his room – mirrored in layout to Robins – and pulled her back out the door.

They definitely didn’t have enough money to pay for movers, nor any friends in Chicago they could ask to help, so they were forced to bring all their belongings up themselves, trip after trip. It wasn’t helpful that they had to lock the door each time, then try open it again with two or three boxes in their arms. The only other time someone rode the elevator with them was when Robin was bringing up her bike, which was horribly awkward.

By the time they had everything up and in its appropriate room, it was nearly six thirty and they were exhausted.

“I am not unpacking all of these today.” Robin groaned, collapsing back, lengthwise on the couch. “I don’t think I could even lift my arms if I wanted to.”

Steve was coming out of their bathroom. He kissed her forehead on his way pass and went over to the phone hanging in the kitchen.

“I’ll order some dinner.” He only realised when he had put in the first three numbers that he was calling the pizza place at Hawkins. He was guessing they wouldn’t deliver to them out here. “Uh, know any good places?”

Robin groaned again and rolled over, so she was face down. She shook her head into the couch cushion.

She, eventually, went downstairs to ask Mr. Oliver where they could get some food. She came back up with a handful of brochures. Steve had his heart set on pizza now, so they picked that out and ordered it from a local place. It was close enough they could've walked. (They could barely keep their eyes open right then, but it was a good thing to keep in mind for a later date.)

Eighteen minutes later – an impressive time, Robin commented - and they were sitting on the floor in their kitchen because they hadn’t needed to pack any appliances, so it was the only room with no boxes. Two pizza boxes were open between them. 

“Don’t we need to have sex on every surface in the apartment? To christen it?” Steve asked. Despite her fatigue, Robin couldn’t even get out a response she was laughing so hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let the roommate shenanigans begin!


	5. Steve and Robin celebrate the new year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note im not american and didnt realise your school year didnt start in January! So my apologies if the timeline doesnt make much sense haha

Unpacking, as it turns out, takes a _long time._ Robin and Steve get most of the essentials out of the way their second day there. They decided to help each other out solely because it was far more fun than doing it alone.

“I can’t believe you have had these sheets since you were twelve years old.” Steve had said.

“Is it possible to own a shirt this tight?” Robin had mocked.

“There is no way you have read all these books; you totally just own War and Peace so you can say you own it.”

“You literally have more self-care products than I do.”

“I didn’t know it was legal to own pants this unflattering.”

“I don’t know what that smell is, but there is no way I am opening this box.”

But slowly, over the course of the day, the apartment started to feel a little bit more like _theirs._ They had spent a lot of time together before, but this was different. This wasn’t Robin visiting Steve’s house, this was Robin and Steve crafting a place together. They took the generic pictures out of the frames and replaced them with their own. It was Steve hanging up her posters and Robin lining up his shoes. It was their toothbrushes next to each other in the holder by the sink. It was the two of them moving his bed to where he wanted it, because apparently it was too close to the door where it was.

Robin said nothing about him putting his nail-ridden bat underneath it.

He said nothing when she was forced awake by a nightmare and needed him to hold her at 5am to be able to fall back asleep.

The two of them fall into a routine, as natural as breathing, like they had back in Hawkins.

A week after they had moved in and Robin still had boxes lying around her bedroom like laundry she was avoiding. She liked living out of home. She was on her own schedule, she had the space to figure herself out, and she even had an awkward repartee going with their forty-something-year-old neighbour, Cadence. She felt incredibly adult.

Steve, on the other hand, wasn’t doing as well. Both of them were struggling with the long, eventless days, but instead of finding things to do, like Robin, Steve seemed to sink into them. He woke up when Robin threw a pillow at his head, and Robin would leave the apartment to come back to him in the same spot she had left him in. They had split up the chores between them, and one of his jobs was to do their laundry. The main outcome of that was that he had developed a crush on a woman from a few floors below them, Jessica, who washed her clothes on the same day he did.

He was still a fun roommate, however. Even with the additions of chores and finances and Steve’s laziness, their friendship remained strong. Robin still asked for his opinion on a lot of her outfits, and she was always instantly to know that Jessica had smiled shyly at Steve that week and he was getting a _vibe_. Once she had forced him up in the mornings, he always made breakfast and coffee for them both and high fived her on her way out to a job interview.

Robin didn’t start college for another two weeks yet, so they were currently spending a lot of their time looking for work. Robin just needed a part time job that would be compatible with her class hours, and it was looking like she was a solid candidate for a local retail store. It was a bit more complicated with Steve. One night after a shower, she came out of the bathroom in her PJ’s, towel in one hand and a hairbrush in the other, and Steve was circling jobs in the newspaper in the living room. She sat on the arm of the couch, squeezing her hair with her towel.

“What do you think about me modelling?” He asked. Robin raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“I think you definitely shouldn’t accept a modelling job advertised in a paper.”

“No, it’s just… an idea I had.” Steve frowned at the advertisements in the paper, like they, specifically, were the problem. Robin swiped her hairbrush up to use as a microphone.

“It was his dream job,” She put on a deep, presenter voice, “the cute, small town boy trying to make it in the big city. Until! One day - tragedy struck! He realised that they are paid peanuts and can’t eat most foods and his best friend would mock him endlessly –” The teasing voice faded out as she started laughing.

“Okay, I get it.” Steve threw his pen at her. She dodged it and it slid down the hallway floor. “I don’t just want another job, you know, I want a _career_.”

“It’s not going to be modelling, nutjob.” Robin nudged him with her bare foot until he moved over and she could sink onto the cushion next to him. “What have you circled so far?”

“Nothing I actually want to do.” Steve dropped the paper on the table. He lent back and hit his head on the wall behind him a few times. “Is it this hard for everyone?”

“You are putting a lot more pressure on this than you need to. You’re twenty, you –“

“You’ve given me this speech before. Several times.” Steve interrupted.

“Then get it through your thick skull. Just get something that will pay and work it out from there. I can’t support us both, even if I do get this job at Clothes and Clear Sky’s.” Steve snorted.

“That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah, well, they are going to be paying half of our bills. Find out who’s paying the other half.” She knocked the back of his head lightly and went into the kitchen.

Steve took her advice. She got the job at the clothing store, and he started sending his (very short) resume into any place within walking distance. A sandwich place down the road was the only place that contacted him back, so it’s what stuck.

New Year’s Day hit, and Steve and Robin planned to finally go out together for the first time since they had gotten to Chicago. Robin was already dressed and halfway through doing her face when Steve joined her. They had to squeeze a lot more than they did at his old bathroom. Steve stood slightly behind her, watching over the top of her head as he adjusted his hair. She was going through her normal routine, and so was he, when she noticed he was eyeing her makeup, open on the counter.

“I can put some on you, if you want, Steve?” She offered, wiggling the highlight in her hands. She remembered one of Olivia’s close male friends wore some whenever he was at the safety of one of her queer parties.

“Oh! No, I.. that wasn't what I, I'm not-“ His hands immediately fell from his hair, almost ashamed. A cream clattered into the sink when he knocked it.

“No one will even be able to notice.” She reassured him as he plucked it up and put it back. He looked at her, uneasy but with interest clearly piqued.

“How would... how would no one notice... something like that?” He asked.

“Well, you said you liked models, right? It’d be like that. A lot of famous men wear makeup when filming movies or performing or having their pictures taken,” Robin shrugged, “even masculine leading men. It can just cover up flaws on their skin or make their eyelashes longer, things like that.”

“Huh.” Robin let Steve absorb that. “That sounds kinda cool. When you put it like that, I mean.”

“Turn this way.” Robin got back out her concealer and mascara. “I might have to pin your hair back.”

“I just got it to have this much volume, Buckley. You aren't touching it.” Robin laughed. She did a quick, scrutinous scan of his face.

“Okay, I'll work around it. Close your eyes.” He looked uncomfortable still, so she rubbed his arms and looked into his eyes, so he knew she was serious. “You can take it off before we go out, if you don't like it.”

He shuffled a little but closed his eyes as she said. She applied the concealer on his bags, and on the redness of his chin, cheeks and between his eyebrows. She blended some parts out with her ring finger and some with a brush. She covered it with a setting powder.

“Okay, open and look up.” She instructed, focused on the task at hand. She applied some mascara. She wiped where it smeared a little under his eyebrows and then got an idea. “Wait, stay facing me!” She scoured through her small bag of old, mostly broken makeup until she found what she was looking for. It was just a simple eyebrow brush. She scrubbed some product off it with her thumb, then brushed out his eyebrows into something a bit more uniform.

“Did you just apply something to my eyebrows?” Steve laughed. She scoffed and shook her head.

“Look in the mirror, idiot.”

She lent to the side and he bent down a little to see closely. Robin watched him carefully. He was clearly surprised, turning his head from side to side to take it in, but he didn't look like he was about to run.

“I look like me.” He said.

“I mean, it’s only the bare basics. You can't really see a dramatic difference with -"

“No, no, I look like me but... enhanced. I guess I thought I would look like an entirely different type of guy.”

“You are still Steve Harrington, King of Hawkins High, just, without pimples.” She winked. They both knew he didn't have any to begin with, so a light laugh rose between them. “So, this is okay?”

“For tonight, yeah.” He said.

They were disrupted by a knock on their door. Robin, still halfway through getting ready, went to answer it when it was obvious Steve wasn’t going to.

“Surprise!” Yelled two voices when she swung it open. Will and El were there, holding hands and grinning from ear to ear. They had both shot up like trees since she had seen them months ago. They looked so old, which was ridiculous because they were so goddamn young. Maybe it was just that they looked _older._

“Holy shit.” Robin said. She grinned at them. “Steve! Will and El are here!”

“What!” Steve hurried out of the bathroom, getting close to the floor as he dodged around the table and falling next to Robin. He leaned his weight on her. “Well, hello.” They all smiled and shared a group hug. Robin ruffled Will’s hair – she had wanted to see the kid again for a while.

“Where is everyone?” Will looked over the two of their shoulders.

“What do you mean?” Robin elbowed Steve so they moved out of the doorway and let the teens in. “It’s just the two of us.” They looked uneasy at each other.

“Did we just spoil it?” Will asked El, who nodded.

“Spoil what?”

El gave a tense smile.

“They were going to surprise you.” She said.

“Who?” Steve’s head bobbed in confusion.

“The party.” Will groaned. “We totally ruined it, but Dustin had convinced his mum to get a cheap hotel room up here for the night so they could celebrate New Year’s with you.”

“Really!” Steve perked up like a golden retriever at the news. Will nodded.

“Mike told me on the phone last week. We were going to surprise everyone by rocking up to the party but…”

“It hasn’t started yet.” El finished. They looked so guilty. Robin laughed. She laughed so hard, and eventually Steve joined in. Will and El looked at them like they were crazy.

“I’m sorry!” Robin got out between breaths. “But you have to admit this is a little funny. You totally spoiled two different surprises.” El laughed with them, and Will let out a small smile.

“Let’s start again.” He said bashfully. “How are you guys.”

“We’re adjusting. Each of us have this annoying new roommate...” Robin shrugged. “Give me a second to finish my makeup and I will be right back.”

“There aren’t many places to sit here,” Steve said as she left. “You could take the couch, I guess.”

-

Slowly, everyone was updated on everyone else’s lives. Will was in love with his new school – an independent place which had a great art program – but he missed his friends a lot and hadn’t really been able to find anyone as great as them. He had become close with a girl named Tamika, though. Since their new town was far from Hawkins and the government undercurrent there, Joyce had allowed El to go to school as well, as Jane Hopper. She was taking a specialised English program which was really helping her improve a lot quicker. She spoke with Max on the phone most day’s and had a crush on one of the boys in her year named Brent (Will told them this while El blushed profusely).

They also told Robin and Steve that Joyce and Jonathan were in Chicago as well, getting dinner to give the kids time to catch up. Robin realised that should have been the first thing she asked when the teens appeared in front of her with no adult present.

Eventually, there was another set of knocks at the door. Steve, El and Will all looked at each other excitedly.

“Hide.” Robin whispered to the kids. She pointed to the bathroom down the hall. She was almost embarrassed since they had left it such a mess, but the only other options were their bedrooms which were by far worse. Once they were out of sight, Robin gave the thumbs up to Steve who swung the door open.

“Surprise!” Came a far louder cheer than before. The four Hawkins teens stood with their arms out.

“Oh my god, I am so surprised.” Steve said in the worst voice Robin had ever heard.

“That was terrible,” she laughed at him, “I didn’t believe you in the slightest.”

“I guess we can strike actor off the list of potential careers, then.”

“It’s not even on the same page, dingus.”

“Hey!” Dustin cried. “I don’t know if you noticed or not, but we are in Chicago!” The kids all wiggled their arms like performers doing jazz hands.

“I noticed, bud. Get in here.” Steve pulled him into a hug.

“My turn, I’ve missed him too!” Robin declared, tugging Dusting away from Steve.

“Come on, you little nerds.” Steve said to the rest of the gang. The other three teens awkwardly shuffled around Dustin and Robin in the doorway. They embraced Steve as well.

“We bring Chinese.” Mike said with a dorky smile, holding up two plastic bags.

“We have a surprise of our own.” Robin grinned at them. She hopped backwards to the front of the hallway and motioned over her shoulder. The two Byers’ kids crept out, and she grabbed them and presented them happily.

“El! Will!” Max and Mike sprinted forward to hug their respective best friends. Dustin and Lucas grinned at each other, then also ran over to pull them all into one massive group hug. Lucas even jumped over the table.

“That’s a bit of a dramatic reaction.” Robin muttered to Steve out of the corner of her mouth.

“If we don’t see each other for, like, four months you better hope you’re getting that reaction.”

“So, they told you we were coming, right?” Dustin asked once the group finally separated. “And that's why you are all dressed up?” Robin and Steve must have given away the truth on their faces.

“You had plans.” Lucas deadpanned. “I can't believe that we didn't think they might have plans.” Steve shook his head.

“We just walk around the house like this.” He joked, posing a little.

“You look amazing.” El smiled. Steve looked almost surprised when he grinned back.

“We didn’t tell them you were coming. We wanted to surprise all of you at once, but we got here too early.” Will said.

“We missed you all so much, we have so much to tell you.” El added.

Robin and Steve got out plates and drinks to go with the Chinese food and played host to the kids while they chatted away. A lot of it was information Robin already knew due to Steve and her regular phone calls back to Hawkins. Amber had said yes to Dustin. Lucas was set to be head of the history club in the new year, and Dustin and Mike had joined the science one. Max had joined a local basketball group and was _loving_ it.

-

One of the pictures they had hung in their apartment in their attempt to make it more homely was of the campaign they had done together a few months ago. All eight of them were piled around the table, smiles bright on their faces. Robin noticed almost all the kids looking at it throughout the night, a variety of expressions on their faces.

-

“It’s weird seeing her again.” Robin wasn’t eavesdropping. She just happened to go to use their bathroom at the same time Mike was confiding to Steve in his bedroom across the hall. “We broke up last year, right, but I still had feelings for her and it sucked. Then she said I love you, like, right before she moved away _three months later_. Which I guess meant she still had feelings for me too, but then the next time we spoke it was like it never even happened. That’s not true. It was totally awkward. But now whenever they come back she acts like we are just friends again. It was all so long ago and I just don’t know how to act around her now. I don’t even know if I still like her or I just think I should still like her or -”

“Woah, woah, slow down, dipshit. You two are, what, ten?”

“Almost sixteen.”

“_Really?_ Wow, time flys. The point I was trying to make, though, was that it was your first relationship, man. First relationships are always filled with confusing drama and excitement and infatuation, you know? You learn from them, and then you let them go. You’ll do better with your next girlfriend.”

“I sure hope so. I really messed that one up.”

"You both did. That's how this works. Neither of you know how to be a good girlfriend or boyfriend yet, but you will learn. Trust me." 

Robin shut the bathroom door. Considering there were only two girls in their group, one of whom was in a happy relationship and one of whom moved away, it was easy to work out who Mike was talking about. She felt almost guilty about knowing how El was growing into her own woman now that she was out in the world.

-

They ended up sitting in a circle around the room in various spots, some against the wall and some on the floor.

“I get my licence in four months and then I am going to be coming up here all the time.” Dustin promised.

“And we will come too, sometimes.” Max added.

“It’s so cool you guys have your own place like this. Living with your best friend, you two are totally living the dream.” Lucas said.

“I definitely worked at a sandwich shop in my dreams,” Steve deadpanned.

“But you have no adult supervision!” Dustin exclaimed. “I bet you guys just go out and party every night.”

“It’s been a lot of unpacking and looking for work so far.” Robin corrected. 

“Until tonight, and we ruined it.” El said.

“No, no, none of that.” Steve said. He twirled off his spot on the floor with his hand and jumped over to the kitchen. He pulled out a cold bottle of beer. "Let's bring the party here."

“Steve.” Robin had a warning edge in her voice. 

“It’s not for me. Surely they are old enough for their first sip of alcohol. I’m the older baby sitter, this is my job.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not.” Robin said, but he pulled off the lid anyway.

“Don’t be such a buzzkill, Robin.”

“Yeah, don’t be such a buzzkill, Robin.” One of the kids parroted. Steve handed the bottle to Dustin, who had been sitting closest to him.

“My first sip of alcohol.” He grinned. “You are so cool.” He looked around his group, who were all leaning forward in anticipation. Robin rolled her eyes. She did actually trust Steve, he was a surprisingly responsible drinker, so she let her protests go. Dustin took a gulp, then immediately gagged and almost spat it out. “That’s it?” He cried; voice hoarse. “Why do adults like it so much?”

“My turn.” Mike took the bottle from his hands without any fight. He took a drink but had almost the exact same reaction. “Gross!” He said, hand in front of his mouth.

“I’m sure it isn’t that bad.” Lucas grabbed the beer for his turn. He cringed as he swallowed, holding the bottle out to Max. “Delicious.”

“I’m good.” Max deadpanned. “I’ve seen what that stuff can do and I’m not planning to touch it.” El shook her head. Lucas nodded, understandingly, then took another gulp. He held it back out to Steve, who was laughing at them all.

-

“Three! Two! One!” They chanted. Lucas swept Max up and kissed her happily. Steve pulled Robin into a side hug and pecked on her cheek. Mike looked across at El awkwardly, but she was falling asleep on the couch. He looked away, frowning to himself. It looked more confused than angry.

“Happy 1987!” Dustin laughed. His mum, tired and not even bothering to be polite, picked them up a few minutes later, practically dragging them out of the apartment. El and Will played cards with them for a few minutes before Jonathan appeared at the door.

“Hey, man.” He said to Steve, awkwardly. “How’s Chicago.”

“Pretty good.” Steve nodded. “How’s Hawkins?”

“The same. You look good.”

“So do you.” El and Will had made it out of the door by then, so they could say goodbye with another exchange of tense smiles which made even Robin wince.

The apartment felt quiet after that.

-

Robin had her orientation day today and she as a mess. She burst into Steve’s room, in her bra, at 7:19am, with a top on a hanger in each hand, crying: “Which shirt!” He looked up, blearily, said: “Purple. With the small earrings you wore on Christmas.” Then put his pillow over his head to go back to sleep. It was only when she had finished getting ready, eaten some cereal and was putting on her bike helmet that he came out of his room. He was shirtless and his hair was awry. She was shaking with nerves and he took her hands in him.

“You will knock ‘em dead.”

“I know. I'm actually pretty excited.” She took a deep breath. “Today is mostly lectures and tours, anyway, my first proper class isn’t until next week.”

“Break a leg.” He kissed her forehead and sent her on her way.

The first thing she noticed as she rode up was that her new campus was _big. _Easily bigger than Hawkins’ primary, middle, and high schools all meshed into one. She chained her bike up and started walking in, when a woman came up to her and gave her piece of paper with a map on one side and a timetable on the other with a polite _have a nice day!_ At first, Robin was thankful, until three more people came up to her pushing different pamphlets and flyers. There was a line of booths set up at the entrance to the campus. One caught her eye, ‘Diversity and Inclusion on Campus’, but she didn’t want to stop and look in case people noticed she was interested.

Robin already had a set list of things she wanted to go to today, anyway. The tour for people getting her type of bachelor’s degree wasn’t until after lunch, so she walked around campus and watched two speeches to pass the time. One, for the general populous, was on getting adjusted to college life and developing good study habits. It was boring as hell. The second was specific to language students, about the job opportunities their course would give them. She, and a handful of other people in the lecture theatre, voluntarily picked up their brochure on the way out. There was a part time job that had piqued her interest, tutoring non-English speaking immigrants while they adjusted to America. She found it on the list so she held onto it.

By the time the tour started, Robins hands were so full of different papers and trinkets that she regretted not bringing a bag. They took a group of them around the campus, but her attention was drawn to another one of the girls in the group. Her name tag read ‘Cecilia Woo’, and she was a beautiful Asian girl with a lot of freckles, loopy earrings and long hair which was braided out of her face. She laughed at all the lame language puns their tour guide gave, and each time Robin felt her heart race in her chest. Cecilia was also visiting alone. Robin wanted to say hi, but she didn’t. 

-

"I bet she’s cheating." Robin said. She threw a kernel of popcorn at Steve, who caught it in his mouth. They were sitting on their couch. Robins legs were up on his lap.

"Her! No way. She is completely in love with her husband." He threw some popcorn back, and Robin got quite a double chin trying to catch it. Failing at that, she picked it out of her shirt and popped it in her mouth. She motioned to the television as she chewed.

"That hot guy in the jacket has been around the house way too much and is getting way too many close ups! Plus, they shared that heated look when he walked in. He’s totally banging the wife."

"There are loads of things that could mean other than cheating."

"I bet you... the rest of the popcorn she’s doing him." Robin jiggled the nearly empty bowl.

"I see your popcorn, and I raise the rest of the popcorn AND my drink that she’s not."

"Do you even know how to play poker?"

"Not a clue."

"I feel good about my chances, then. Deal."

Mystery guy wasn’t sleeping with the wife. Turns out he was the husband’s long-lost cousin. 

"Sex sells,” Robin protested as she passed Steve their snack bowl. “It even would have been more interesting if he was just sleeping with the husband instead, but whatever." She caught Steve raising his eyebrow with a curious look. She, in turn, raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh god, I have a type." He moaned, his voice coming out strangled. Robin snorted.

"Classic tall, dark and handsome?"

"With a heart of gold, don’t forget his heart of gold." Long-sufferingly, Steve stuffed more food into his mouth. Robin smirked at him, feeling a unifying emotion that she couldn’t describe.

Neither of them wanted to go to sleep after the show had finished. They flicked from channel to channel. They put a news station on, intending to use it as white background noise. After a few minutes though, Robin gasped loudly.

“What!” Steve was immediately alert.

“No, no. I just got an idea.” Robin tapped his arm excitedly.

“Yeah...?”

“You could be a news reporter!”

“A news reporter?” Steve was unimpressed.

“Or, like, a talk show host. Don’t pull that face this is a great idea. You may not be a good actor, but you would be great on TV. You just rock up, have a whole bunch of people make you look like even more of a pretty boy, then you stand in front of a camera and say what people tell you to say. You’re, somewhat, charming. Women would love you; men would want to be you.”

“That does sound pretty sweet.” Steve admitted. Robin pulled her legs to her chest as he stood, grabbing his coke bottle as he went. He held it up to his mouth as a pretend microphone, as Robin had done a few weeks earlier. “Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen.” He waved to an imaginary audience. “I’m Steve Harrington and welcome to Guess That Job. Let’s meet our contestants – and what’s your name, ma’am?” When he flicked his pretend microphone down to Robin on the couch, she lent in real close as if she was playing along.

“That’s a game show host, dingus.” She said instead.

“Interesting name you’ve got there. Is it foreign?”

“You are such an idiot.” Robin was laughing nonetheless; of course, she was. Steve dropped back down to his spot and Robin swung her body so she was resting against him again.

“But I wouldn’t even know how to go about that.” He said, voice normal again.

“Well, research and find out.” Robin pushed him. He pushed her back.

Eventually, he fell asleep on the couch and she trudged back to her own room after putting a pillow under his head.


	6. Steve and Robin struggle with their love lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a forewarning for some homophobia and biphobia in this one!

Once Robin’s schooling picked back up, she and Steve lost a lot of the time they were spending together. Back in Hawkins, at least, they worked together so Steve knew they could catch up and mess around over their shifts. Now he worked with a bunch of strangers making sandwiches at odd hours, only finding solace when the two of them got home and were able to complain about their day to each other.

Well, Steve would complain. Robin was loving her classes and some of the people in them. She mostly criticised some know-it-all called Michael who constantly interrupted their professor and answered all the questions before anyone else even got a chance. Her nineteenth birthday passed, but it was at such a busy, transitional period that they barely celebrated. She got lunch with some of her new study group, and that night the two of them went and saw a movie. He got her an obscure French comic she had been gushing about wanting - he needed to scour through so many comic book stores to find one big enough to have an international section. She had loved it, laughing with tears in her eyes when she tore open the wrapping paper. 

-

“Steve!” Robin called when she got home one night.

“Kitchen!” He was making stir fry incredibly poorly. They had realised quickly that their plan to live mostly off take out wasn’t the most financially sound, and since they were both trying to save money, they had agreed to take turns making meals. Robin lent up against the counter, smiling.

“I want to set you up with one of the guys from my course.” She said. Steve almost dropped his wooden spoon. “Openly gay. Even I can tell he’s hot. He’s got that cool guy vibe you like but he’s somehow not a douchebag. Plus, he is a total, secret gaming dork which you will pretend you don’t like but you totally do.” 

“I don’t, uh,” Steve shook his head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, I was thinking of finally asking Jessi out.” He hadn’t been.

“Jessi?”

“Jessica. From the fifth floor?”

“Right. Laundry girl.”

“She said I could call her Jessi. That her _friends_ call her Jessi.”

“Ooo.” Robin made a teasing noise. She swept her finger through his stir fry and picked out a piece of beef. “Let me know how that goes, then. Don’t use any lame pickup lines.”

Steve hadn’t had the opportunity to flirt with anyone, aside from brief, suggestive lines and well placed winks, since they had gotten to Chicago (it was deeply frowned upon at his new work, to his dismay), so he was worried he was going to be off his game. When he got down to the laundry room a few nights later, he was close to backing out and telling Robin she had just said no. Jessica was already at the laundry room when he arrived, pouring the detergent into one of the machines.

“Hi, Steve.” She smiled. She was a red head with a fringe and sharp nose. Robin had said she looked like Mary-Jane when Steve finally pointed her out, but he had no idea who that was or if it was a compliment. She had a denim jacket with band patches all over the back and her hair was back in a ponytail today. Steve forgot to reply for a moment, he was so struck by how pretty she was.

“Hey, Jessi.” He said after far too long a break. They said nothing more, so the room was filled with the loud sounds of the clothes banging and turning around. She went to leave as he was pushing his clothes into one of the bottom machines. Now or never.

“Wait!” Steve called after her. He and Robin's clothes spilled out of the open door when he stood up and he had to step around them awkwardly. She giggled at him, which he took as a good sign. “I, uh,” God it really had been a long time. What would he have done back in high school, before Dustin and Robin had turned him into a nerd. 

He lent against one of the counters, flicking his hair in a way he knew they would laugh at. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date sometime?” Cue charming smile.

That was better. She beamed at him.

“Took you long enough.” She said. Steve felt something in his chest loosen. “I’m free tomorrow night.”

“What a coincidence, I am too.”

“Pick me up at 8?”

“Make it 7:30.”

“Not a second later. Room 516.” She picked her basket back up and left with a grin. Steve waited until he was sure she was out of sight to fist bump the air. Then, unfortunately, he stumbled over his own socks still spread out on the floor and knocked his forehead on an open washing machine door.

-

Clothes and Clear Sky’s was the campiest, cheesiest clothing store Steve had ever been inside. He had no idea how Robin was ever hired there, with her sardonic wit and alternative vibe. She wasn’t allowed to wear any of her bangles and could only wear incredibly specific pants with her work top. The clothes sold there were all bright and colourful and lacked any individuality at all. He complained about it more than she did, because she often just made a joke about Scoops Ahoy and how nothing went more against her character than that outfit had.

It was also far busier than any of the shops at Hawkins had ever been, so her co-workers frowned upon Steve rocking up just for a chat, which he often did when he was bored. Today, however, he had important news to tell her.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Do you have this top in another size?” He found Robin in one of the back corners and held out the shirt for her. She looked around subtly, then turned so they were side by side facing the wall.

“You aren’t meant to visit me at work anymore, dingus.” She said in a hushed tone, like they were spies in cahoots.

“I got hired at the local news place.” He whispered.

“What! That’s amazing.” She pulled him into a tight hug. He gripped her back happily for a moment before she turned their body’s, so they were facing the clothing rack again. She motioned to the top like she was talking about it. “I’ve been applying for where I want to work for months now. How on Earth did you manage that in, like, a few weeks.”

“It’s just as a production assistant. I told my dad about it on the phone the other day. He said that the wife of one of his accountant’s worked for the broadcasting cable or something like that, and that I should send my resume in with her as a reference. Then, boom, interview.”

“You spoke with your dad? Why didn’t you tell me?” Steve had been smiling, but it dropped a little at her words. He shrugged. 

“Eh, he just called to tell me that the divorce was finalised and let me know his new address, should I need it. It’s in California, so I probably won’t.”

“California?” Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you okay?”

“I think he is just happy I want to do something. I haven’t even heard from my mum yet, and neither has he.” Robin frowned. “I really don’t care too much, Robs. How’s the shift going?” She took the subject change in stride.

“You are by far the best customer I’ve had today. A lot better than all the middle-aged mum’s who let their loud kids cry themselves out, or the old men who put their hand on my lower back and call me sweetheart.” Steve blew out a breath.

“Hawkins may have had the upside down, but at least stuff like that never happened there.” Robin gave him a disbelieving look.

“Of course, it did, Steve. Just not to you.” She started shooing him out with a flap of her hands. “Now, scram, we get points for how many customers we serve. I’ll see you back at the apartment.”

-

He quit the job at the sandwich shop - he was barely getting any shifts there anyway, it was getting to the point where he thought he might need a second job. His first day at the news station didn’t go as he thought. It felt oddly adult to go to a job that didn’t require him to wear a uniform. He was taken on a tour of the place by a short, plump woman with a buzzcut. They started at the set, since Steve would be spending a portion of his time there.

“You need to be a self-starter, confident with a positive attitude. This is a high-pressure environment, but as long as you have good communication skills and are a quick learner, you should be fine.” The tour guide said as she walked, her heels clicking on the floor. Her voice was clear and sharp despite the loud, bustling environment. Steve had… most of those skills.

“I’m up to the task.” He said. 

The set was shared by many shows other than the small network he was hired by, and he knew already he was going to be getting lost a lot. Luckily, he was mostly in an office area down the street. He was introduced to a variety people, including a few he even recognised from the show itself, and he scrambled to remember all their names. His job was to be mostly making and buying coffee, faxing and printing pieces of paper, transcribing some speeches and monitoring something to do with the feed from the camera (Steve sort of got lost at that part of her explanation, but he kept nodding anyway).

“You will be stationed here.” The woman had reached the last part of her tour, a small cubicle. She sighed, like she was contemplating something. She tapped her nails on the divider between his cubicle and the one next. “Look, I like you, but you need to remember that you are young, and you don’t have any secondary education.” Thanks for the reminder.

“I won’t let that be a problem.”

“What I am saying is be patient. I know that they are hoping that this could lead into a full-time staff position, if that is what you want. You are self-assured, in touch, flexible, not to mention charismatic.” The matter-of-fact way she said it made Steve believe her. “You show up, do the work, keep your head down, and you will be moving up in no time.”

She left Steve feeling hopeful. The News Network was 24 hours, so he had some set shifts, but could potentially be called in to do work at any time. When he told Robin this, she said if the phone rang at 3am and woke her up there would be hell to pay, but he knew she was happy for him.

His next, official, shift started the next day. He didn’t see the buzzcut woman he had liked yesterday, but instead one of the men she had introduced him too. Roger Plakmen, the supervisor of his floor, gave him a set list of jobs to do, let him know his break times, and sent him on his way.

-

Steve helped Robin study as best as he could, which wasn’t a lot. It wasn’t something that they had done in high school, but Steve liked it; it made him feel useful. Late at night, when Robin had her hair tied back and a face mask on, and he had a leave-in treatment through his hair, they would set up on one of their beds. He would read off cue cards, a random sentence, and she would have to respond in a random language he had chosen (or a specific language that she needed to focus on that week). If she got it right, he would always go ‘Sí!’, whether it was in Spanish or not.

Revising with someone who only knew English could only get her so far, however, and so Robin had a small study group of people from her university. They would rotate around where they would meet up, normally at the library but then between their places if the campus was too busy. It wasn’t until over a month and a half into her study that they landed on her and Steve’s apartment. She ostracised him to his bedroom.

“And right after I helped you set up all those snacks, too.” He pouted as she shut the door in his face. He was set to listen to music and fill out some remaining paperwork about his tax he needed to do for his new job, but half an hour or so of the chatter and laughter from down the hall left him feeling lonely.

He made his way down and took in the variety of faces positioned around their table. Robin was on the couch, a textbook half on her lap, half on the leg of the girl next to her. They all turned to him as he walked past to the kitchen.

“I didn’t realise there was someone else here.” One of the men said.

“Sorry. This is Steve.” Robin motioned with a polite smile, but she sent him a questioning eyebrow.

“Your boyfriend?” A girl asked, giving him an appreciative one over. Steve felt a little bit of pride at that and peacocked a little.

“Roommate.” Robin said with a sigh. “Who said he would be in his room tonight.”

“Just getting a drink. I was getting cooped up.”

“You didn’t need to banish him while we did our work.” The girl next to Robin said. Robin blushed, suddenly, and shook her head.

“No – no it wasn’t like that, I, I mean -”

“I offered to stay out of the way.” Steve lied, saving her ass. Robin _never_ got that flustered. Robin never cared enough to get that flustered. “And you are…?”

“Cecilia.” The girl stood up, carefully moving the book into Robs lap, and held out her hand. Steve shook it. The other people in the group also introduced themselves.

“Yeah, we aren’t dating.” Robin emphasised. Steve smiled mischievously down at her like the Cheshire cat. She gave a tentative, awkward one back.

“Yeah, I’m kind of got a thing going with this girl right now.” He mentioned. 

“Oh, how’d that go by the way?” Robin asked.

“Asked her out at the start of last week, got dinner… and then a bit more.”

“Thatta boy.”

The girl who had been flirting slightly with Steve earlier looked a little put out. Cecilia sat back down and pulled the textbook back over, her hands brushing Robins. Steve took that as his cue to leave and gave Robin a small wave on his way out. She death glared him.

-

“You totally have a thing for her!” Steve cried the second they were gone. Robin groaned.

“Please tell me it’s not that obvious.”

“I mean, I could tell straight away, but I can tell when you feel a slight breeze when we aren’t even in the same room.” Robin was lounged across the sofa. When he motioned to let him sit, she merely raised her legs and let him duck underneath them.

“God, she’s so amazing.” She sighed. 

“She’s definitely cute.”

“I know right!”

“This is adorable.” Robin smothered herself with a pillow. “Why haven’t you made a move? You and Olivia were a thing after speaking, like, twice.”

“That was different. Olivia was so open and straight forward; I basically didn’t have to do a thing to make that happen. Now I’m just so awkward and unsure and scared, it’s like I’m right back in high school. Plus, ‘liv pegged me as gay. I have no idea if Cecilia even likes girls, let alone whether she likes me back.”

Steve didn’t know either, if he was being honest. He wanted to tell Robin to just go for it, and if she were a man he probably would, but he knew she had to be careful. He sighed and flicked on the television.

“She would be insane not to love you.” Was all he said.

Dustin had rambled something to him once about infinite universes, some theory that Steve had zoned out to while nodding. He thought, maybe, that there was an alternate universe where Robin was straight, and so was he, and they loved each other in a completely different way. They could grow up, buy that picket fence house, and have a bunch of kids. A traditional life – maybe, even, still in Hawkins. And maybe a distant part of Steve did still love Robin in that way. Maybe all close friendships had that strange, complicated, could-be-in-love-if-I-tried feeling between them. None of that mattered, though, because their relationship the way it was right in that moment was better and stronger than anything he had felt in years. Perhaps, even in that alternate universe, alternate him is faced with a choice of a lifelong friend or a brief romantic relationship, and he knew what he would choose.

-

One night, Jessi had been sleeping over when they were both awakened by his door opening. She murmured softly, turning over to peer at the crack of the light. Steve’s fight or flight response kicked in, however, and he started reaching for his bat when Robin’s voice came out of the hallway.

“Steve, are you awake? I had another – Jesus Christ!” She had flicked on the light, then immediately slapped her hands over her eyes. “Are you naked right now!”

“Everything’s covered!” Steve cried, feeling a bit embarrassed. Jessi pulled the sheet up to her chin.

“I, god, okay, never mind –” Robin started to turn, hands still firmly over her eyes so her elbow hit the doorframe. She was in boxer shorts and a tank top, hair tied into messy pigtails.

“Do you regularly come into Steve’s room in the middle of the night?” Jessi asked, a confused, jealous tinge to her voice.

“I was just coming to sleep with him.” Robin said as she walked away. She seemed to realise how that sounded because she span back around and hurried a few steps towards them as Jessi cried:

“What!”

“No! No, no, no, no, no, gross, no.”

“Okay – she gets it!” Steve interrupted, annoyed. He was feeling more awake now and sat up, resting against the headboard. Jessi was pressed in close to him, so she was forced to prop herself up on her elbows. She looked between them for an explanation.

“This… _thing_ happened to me a little while ago and I just can’t sleep because of it, sometimes. When I said that, I meant _go to_ _sleep_, sometimes it helps when I doze off with someone else nearby. It’s a, I don’t even know, a safety thing, maybe.” Robin said, eyes on Jessi, voice tender. “I am gay, okay, you don’t have anything to worry about with me and Steve. I can just sleep in my own room, give you two some space. Night.”

She left back to her own bed. Steve made a mental note to check on Robin in the morning, but he otherwise thought that was the end of it. Jessi had sat up next to him with the sheets pillowing around her, though, stiff as a board.

“Your housemates queer?” She whispered. Steve rounded on her, frowning. “How could you have girls over with her here? God – she almost saw me nude.” She looked at Steve incredulously as she spoke quietly, almost like she expected him to agree with her. He stared at her like she was insane. A deep anger brewed inside of him, settling low in his gut. She seemed to notice and shrugged. “I just don’t feel at ease with a girl like that living with someone I’m seeing, Steve. What if she made a move on me?”

“You should be so lucky.” He scolded, finding his voice.

“No need to bite my head off.” She was actually laughing slightly. “Shouldn’t my comfort come first?”

“I’m… I don’t even know how to respond to that. Yes, Robin is ‘queer’, and so am I.” The words flew out of his mouth. Steve was getting more pissed by the second, he pushed himself off the frame where he had been leaning and forced Jessi to move back. “She’s a lesbian, and I'm bisexual, and since this is going to be a problem with you, you need to get the fuck out.” His heart raced with the invigoration of saying he was like Robin out loud, but he pushed it aside. That was to be dealt with another time. 

“Oh.” Jessi sighed. “_Right_. I understand, now.” She got out of bed – having to climb pass Steve to do so – and her response was so far from what he was expecting that he was confused for a moment. Then, he turned to ask her what she was talking about, but she was still naked, so it took him even longer to gather his thoughts.

“What do you understand?”

“You’re gay.” She said it gently. An explanation to him. She had her bra on now and was tugging up her jeans.

“No, what?” He swung his legs over the edge of the bed to sit facing her. Jessi’s replies where getting further and further from the conversation, or confrontation, Steve kept expecting in his head.

“Please, Steve. The whole ‘liking both’ thing? That’s not real.” Jessi laughed.

“Yes, it is.”

“Men? They just say that because they don’t want to come out a fully gay”

“I think I just proved a few hours ago, pretty well if I may add, that I’m not gay.”

“You think that now, hon, but,” she sighed again, hands on her hips as she searched for her top, “one of my friend’s boyfriends said the exact same thing, only to come out, _actually_ come out, like six months later. Broke her heart. I’m going to jump ship before that happens.” Steve stood up at that. He felt exposed, so he pulled his underwear back on. Her band tee was underneath it and he thrust it at her. His voice was got so loud he wouldn’t be surprised if they got noise complaint the next day.

“Oh, no, you aren’t jumping any ship. We were done the second you said that about Robin. I moved across state lines to stay with her. If you think I’d choose some homophobic, self-centred, careless girl who, to be honest, is mediocre at _best_ in bed, over my best friend, then you are even more insane than I thought!”

“I’m not homophobic! Or self-centred or careless or… Who the hell do you think you are, saying things like that to me!” Jessi exclaimed back.

“Get the hell out. Don’t make me force you.” His voice dripped with venom. So Jessi stormed out. Steve stood rooted in his room as he heard the front door slam, and then what sounded like one of their pictures falling. He hit his fist on his dresser. 

After a few moments of silence, Robin appeared at the door. When she flicked on the light, Steve saw her eyes were red and she wore an immovably tense expression. He instantly felt guilty.

“I heard, uh…” She trailed off.

“I’m sorry.” Steve said. She let out a breath of disbelieving air.

“I was coming to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Steve didn’t know what he was feeling. His stomach felt tight, and he was frowning, but inside was an entangled mess of anger and shame and fear and disappointment and a million other things he couldn’t name. “I guess I just think… that I really liked her and if you and I weren’t… then it’d be a lot easier.”

“This isn’t on either of us.” Robin walked over, grabbing one of his hands which he realised was still in a fist.

She led him out to the couch in the living room and sat him down with a hand squarely on each shoulder. She hurried to his bedroom and back, throwing one of his tops at him. He pulled it on while Robin went into the kitchen briefly and returned with two spoons and Neapolitan ice cream. She had protested when Steve had picked it out at the grocery store at the beginning of the week, but now she placed it in the centre of their low table, pulled off the lid, and dug the spoons into it.

“First off, I’ve never seen bangs that choppy before in my entire life.” She said. She scooped up some of the cream and stuck it in her mouth, before motioning for him to do the same. Steve had been staring blankly ahead up until now, trying to process all that had happened, and he felt vulnerable and hurt. He picked up a spoon.

“She cut them herself. Claimed it saved money.” He sighed.

“You could tell. Plus, her taste in bands was god awful, I swear if they weren’t screaming and depressed she wasn’t interested. And how weird was it that she _insisted _that you call her Jessi. I called her Jess once and she ranted at me for like five whole minutes. She had such an individuality complex.” Robin pulled him in and, eventually, the shine wore off Jessi. His heart wasn’t in it, at first, but by the time the sun was rising, and the tub was a quarter empty he was laughing so much he forgot he ever felt like crying. His mouth went numb half an hour ago, so he was lying across her lap while his spoon rested, forgotten, on the lid of the carton. It was only then that Robin circled back around.

“I’m surprised you came out to her after, what, like two weeks? I mean, it’s totally on her that she reacted that way, but I mean I thought I was the only person you’d even told so far.”

“Is that all you heard?”

“I heard her say that liking both wasn’t a thing, and then you yell at her to get out or something? I could only hear pieces from my room. Why, did she insult something else about you?” Steve looked away. “Oh my god. I can kneecap her if you want. Just say the word and I will kneecap her so good.” Steve laughed but shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t like that.” He explained the situation to her. Her demeanour softened, she looked sad, but accepting at first. Then, however, she looked at him like he had hung the stars.

“You broke up with her over that?” She asked.

“We are a package deal, Robs. Anyone who doesn't get that doesn't belong in my life, you're too important to me.” Robin’s mouth parted, like she was going to say something, but then she just smiled down at him. Her hair was still tied back, but she had curling strands lose which hung down and cast shadows around her face. “Besides, I don’t really know if what I yelled at her counts as a coming out. She, like, didn’t even accepted it. She just said, ‘no’. It was weird.”

“She just _told_ you that you were straight?” Robin laughed a little.

“No. She said I was obviously gay. Out of all the reactions I expected, that definitely wasn’t one of them.” Robin frowned. “I don’t know if I am going to come out. Properly, I mean. I still like women, right? If I end up falling in love with and marrying one of them, then there really isn’t any point.”

“And if you end up falling in love with a man?”

“Then things will be a whole lot more complicated.” Steve dragged his hands down his face.

“If you don’t want to come out, then you don’t have to. I don’t think I will either, publicly, like a lot of people do. But…” She trailed off. Steve peeked through his fingers to look at her. She was staring ahead, taking a deep breath. “I guess I understand why people do. The freedom of it all. We shouldn’t have to stay hidden; it’s exhausting. It would be great to live in a world where none of that even matters.”

“Yeah, but we do, and it does.”

“But we do, and it does.” Robin sighed, taking another scoop of ice cream. “Worse comes to worse we can always just marry each other. I won’t mind if you cheat on me.” Steve laughed. A dark joke about becoming his father popped into his mind, but he pushed it aside.

“Deal, but only as long as you don’t cheat on me with the same mistress.”

-

Dustin could tell Steve was upset during their next phone call.

“Tell me.” He said, voice crackling through the receiver. “Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me -”

“Okay! Jesus.” Steve pinched his eyebrows. “It’s not really that big a deal. I just broke up with this girl, recently.”

“Oh, I’m sorry man. I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.”

“We weren’t dating, exactly. It was too soon for that.”

“Then why are you so upset?”

“It’s more about the stuff she said than the relationship itself.” Steve tried to be as vague as possible, but Dustin didn’t let it go.

“What did she say.” Steve sighed. He looked around the apartment, but Robin had an afternoon shift at Clothes and Clear Sky’s, so he was alone.

“She said some homophobic bullshit about Robin and…” Steve, just for a moment, contemplated telling Dustin he was… what he was (Steve understood what Robin was explaining months earlier, when she had said she felt tight when she tried to talk about it). Dustin was cool when Robin came out, right? Steve let out a breath. “And I yelled at her a bit. Robin heard.” Dustin was quiet for an unbearable second.

“That’s rough, man. She sounds like a bitch.”

“Don’t call women that.” Steve said, almost automatically.

“Sorry! Sorry. Just, wow, I can’t believe that happened.”

“Can we just change the subject, please.” He pleaded, instead. It was silent for a moment, before Dustin said:

“Would a bad transition be that Amber and I totally got to second base the other night?”


	7. Steve and Robin have a blackout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more drunk, gay steve and robin shenanigans - enjoy!

Robin loved college far more than high school, to say the least. Being surrounded by like-minded people was a myth, but at least she was surrounded by people with similar interests to her and no one seemed to care about the nerdy clubs she had joined (only band and women’s soccer, she didn’t have time for much else) because they were all exploring interests of their own. She liked some of her professors, disliked others. They were all men, which was something her and Cecilia wanted to campaign against but didn’t know how.

She was almost disappointed when her first semester ended. Steve was constantly busy with his new, full-time job, and even though she was getting the occasional shift at Clothes and Clear Sky’s, she was home alone often. She felt an undercurrent throughout the day, a longing for more excitement. Last time she had listened to that feeling, she had ended up in a Russian base, but even still, she was convinced there was no emotion worse than boredom.

One Thursday night, Steve and Robin walked home from the local pizza place and set up in front of their television. It was dark outside now, and the rain was spitting lightly against their windowpane. They were in the middle of laughing at a show when everything went black. Not just the television, everything. Their lights went out, even the blinking dot on their oven. It wasn’t pitch dark, some moonlight was coming in through the windows, but it was still hard to see.

“What the hell?” Steve said. Robin started breathing heavier.

“Last time this happened…”

“Yeah, I know.” Steve put a reassuring hand on her knee. They looked at each other for a moment, but nothing changed. He got up and “ow!” hit his shin on the table. Robin went to the window as he went to the light switch and started flicking it up and down to test it. Robin didn’t know how he thought that was going to help all the other electronics that were also clearly not working. She peered outside and saw the buildings across the street were also all dark. There were flickering lights in the distance, though, which reassured her.

“I think that this block just had a blackout.” She turned to find Steve still working the lights. “You are an actual five-year-old child.” Steve stopped at that, sighing and putting his hands on his hips.

“What do we do?”

“We could… light some candles?”

“Oh, yeah, let me just pull out all those candles I keep in my back pocket!”

“Check the wardrobe in the hall, we haven’t gone through that yet. I think I also have a flashlight in the bottom drawer in my room.” They split up. They had to run their hands along the wall in the hallway, since there were no windows in there. Robin found the flashlight, but the cupboard was filled with nothing but blankets and pillows. Steve went into his room and came back out with his bat.

“Just in case.” He said.

“Good idea.” Robin still wasn’t sure that this was just a normal Chicago blackout, her heart was racing and she kept expecting something to break through the door or tear up a building down the street. The lights had come on far sooner a year and a half ago, however. Robin flicked the torch on. “I’ll go and ask Mr. Oliver what’s going on.”

“Should I come with?” He gestured with the bat a little. She shook her head.

“Might be a bit suspicious. I’ll be back in no time.”

The hallway lights were also off. There were people in groups and pairs, talking to each other in hushed voices in doorways. Some looked at her when her light shone their way. Robin realised, belatedly, that the elevator would obviously be out of order and that she would have to take the stairs. She hated riding that elevator at the best of times, it always felt one bad jolt away from dislodging itself entirely.

The stairway was filled with various tenants who must have had the same idea she did. Some thought it was a good idea to stop and talk at some of the flights so she and the other people moving down had to squeeze past. The desk at the lobby was being crowded by adults, some in PJ’s, some in work clothes and some in party clothes. They were all yelling at Mr. Oliver, who Robin is sure had never been so thankful for the protective barrier in his life. Robin wormed her way through the group to try and get as close as possible. He stood up on his chair and rapped on the barrier a couple times to quiet his audience. 

“’Kay!” Mr. Oliver yelled. “I just ‘eard from the city council. Apparently, there is a blackout on this entire block due to damage to the electric transmission system or s’mthing like that. The lady lost me a little, but from what I can tell it could take a few hours, or even days, to repair.” There was a loud, united groan. “We don’t have a backup generator like some of those fancy pants places, but at least we have each other.” He spoke for a while longer about how he was going to get the word out to the other tenants, even repeating the problem for newcomers, but Robin had heard what she needed and made her way back up to the apartment.

“By far the worse part of this,” she huffed as she opened their door, “is going to be going up and down eight fucking flights of stairs.”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked. He was sitting on the couch, rubbing his hands together to sooth himself. Robin explained the problem to him. He seemed to relax a little and lent his bat against the table. “Feel kind of silly for reacting like that now.”

“Me too.” She settled down next to him. "We are out of Hawkins. No Russians. No upside down. Just a normal blackout like a normal neighbourhood."

"Normal and safe." 

"You are out of your mind if you think this neighbourhood is safe." Robin laughed. Still, the way Steve wrapped his arms around her shoulders made her feel very protected. Very loved. She looked at the clock. “It’s late anyway, let’s go to bed we can deal with this tomorrow.”

-

The hot water was out so they had the quickest showers of their lives the next morning, thankful that their bathroom had a window, however small. It was easier to manage while the sun was out and shining light into their apartment. It was more of an inconvenience than anything else. Steve still had a shift. The garage also had no power and trapped his car in, so he had to call a taxi. Robin spent the day recovering their apartment. She threw out the food in the fridge that she knew would have gone bad. She rode her bike over to where the shops were still open and brought them candles, a lighter and spare batteries just in case the ones in her torch ran out. She also paid a quick visit to their neighbour, Cadence, whom she was friends with.

Steve got home that night and they realised that without being about to watch television or cook, there wasn’t a whole lot to do around the apartment. They called Mr. Oliver occasionally for updates, which he never seemed to have. Robin read for a little bit, Steve called some people (Dustin had been planning to visit them that weekend, but Steve told him they would have to push it back a week), they played card games.

“Let’s just go out, somewhere.” Steve caved and said after he had slammed his leg into their table for the tenth time. It was getting darker and they were starting to rely on candle light. 

“Yes!” Robin cried. “God, I am going insane.”

-

“Okay, that was the third guy to grab my ass.” She hissed at Steve an hour or so later. He went to confront the douche, but she grabbed his open jacket. "No need for that, white knight.”

“I know that.” Steve said, but his eyes still followed the gropper across the room.

“Please don’t get us kicked out before we even sit down. Or get your ass kicked, with your track record.” Steve turned to her, offended. “Come on.” She laughed, motioning with their two drinks. They went and sat down at one of the booths away from the crowded bar.

“I miss Lucky Lucy’s.” Robin sighed, sliding Steve's drink across the table to him. She had chosen this place solely because it didn’t card. Steve turned twenty-one a few weeks ago (robin had gotten him a new jacket and music for his car), but Robin was still too young and tortuously stressed about carding. She had heard about this bar through her fellow students; they often made it sound like it was amazing, but now that she was here the alpha males and strong smell of cigarettes was overwhelming. 

“Well, since we don’t know where… a place like that is here in Chicago, this is the best we’ve got.” Steve said, taking a gulp of his beer. Robin noticed a small group of people she recognised across the room.

“Maybe not.” She said. He looked at her questioningly, so she nodded to the gaggle of students. “The guy with the dark short hair is the one I told you about.” He still looked confused so she sighed, speaking lowly so she was sure they wouldn’t be overheard. “I mentioned him a few weeks ago. From my course? He’s in his final year but works with some of the freshmen for some big project. Logan? He’s out of the closet, everyone on campus knows he’s gay and he doesn’t even care. It’s… amazing. I’m sure he would know where a place like Lucy’s is near here.”

“Oh.” To his credit, Steve just raised his eyebrows and looked over to Logan. “How exactly do you ask something like that?” He asked out of the corner of his mouth.

“I… uh…” Robin bit her lip. Olivia had been her guide into the gay world, and she was lost as to where to start by herself. “I have no idea. I guess there’s no harm in just telling him.” She traced the rim of her bottle contemplatively. “Should I?” Before Steve could get a response out, she just said: “Screw it!” and left the table. 

There were two other kids sitting with Logan, Robin recognised them but couldn’t place their names. He was a few years older than her, so they probably were too. Logan wasn’t the most popular, teased both because of his sexuality and his nerdiness, but people who didn’t care about shallow stuff like that loved him to death. Robin was one of them.

“Robin!” One of the adults with Logan called as she approached. It was a woman; her short hair was blue and she had a leather jacket on.

“Hey!” Robin smiled, trying desperately to remember her name. The trio of them turned to her and welcomed her kindly.

“We don’t see you here enough.” Logan smiled.

“Working hard right now.” A white lie. Steve had been working hard, and there was no way she was going out by herself. “To be honest, me and my roommate are just here because the electricity is out at my place.”

“Mine too!” The blue-haired woman cried. “We must live close to each other.”

“Roommate?” Asked the third member of their group. He had a Spanish accent and was a bit bigger. Robin pointed. Steve had been zoning out, but when he noticed her indicating toward him, he abruptly smiled and waved, almost knocking his drink. The guy whistled. “He’s cute.”

Robin paused at that. She took in the group of them, their outsider’s vibe and association with Logan. She wouldn’t be surprised if they were all gay, or some variation of it. She had been planning to try talk with Logan in private, but she decided to take a chance instead.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She laughed, taking a seat.

-

“Four streets’ over.” Robin said, taking Steve’s drink from his hand.

“Hey! Wait - What?” He did a double take, still partially reaching for his bottle. She smiled.

“The place we want to go? It’s four streets’ over.” She finished. Steve looked over her shoulder and saw the three other people.

“All of us?” He asked. Robin nodded.

“Steve, meet Logan, Xavier and Daniela.” She had managed to subtly learn their names. “Guys, this is my best friend Steve.”

“How’s it going?” Steve took his drink back from Robin, sculled the rest and set it on the table. “Let’s head off then.”

Robin was thankful for him not questioning their new members. During their walk she learned that Logan and Xavier were both gay, and Daniela liked only men, but she wasn’t biologically a woman (she explained it patiently, since neither Steve nor Robin had even heard of that before). Robin told them she was a lesbian, but Steve didn’t mention his bisexuality so neither did she.

Robin was also the only member of the group under twenty-one, but the front of the club didn’t even have a bouncer. It wasn’t as hidden away as Lucky Lucy’s had been, it even had a neon sign out the front, and a small rainbow flag in the corner of the window. Logan led them all in with a nod of his head. Just to be safe, Robin let Steve order for her while she went and found them a table. Logan and his friends said they’d be right back and went to talk to a tall woman they all knew outside of college.

Steve knew Robin’s preferred orders off by heart and set one of them down in front of her. When he told her the price she remembered why they hadn't gone out in a while...

This bar was undeniably geared towards an older audience than Lucky Lucy’s had been. There was no dance floor. The wooden walls were lined with blown up, framed posters of famous queer people and icons, some of whom Robin recognised and some she didn’t.

“This is better.” She smiled. She saw two women in their forty’s or so clearly hitting on each other over by the bar and it made her smile. Steve saw her watching.

“You know… I haven’t helped but notice… you haven’t really…” He trailed off and she frowned at him. “You haven’t gotten any recently. In a long while, actually.” Her face dropped and she set her harshest, most disbelieving scowl she could on him. “I am just a concerned friend!” He cried.

“I don’t know how you managed to miss this, Steve, but I am a complete and utter nerd. A gay nerd at that! We don’t exactly ‘get some’ as often as men like you do.”

“That is not what I was saying.” Steve said. “You are so hung up on this Cecilia girl that you haven’t even tried. But since you know that most the women in here are gay or bi or anything in between, why don’t you just give a little flirting a go?”

“You have never seen me flirt, Steve. It’s a disaster.”

“And you don’t want to flirt with anyone other than your beloved?” Robin dropped her head into her hands, then she looked up, pressing her fingers into her warm cheeks.

“You make me sound like I’m in love with her.”

“Which you totally are.” Robin just looked at him incredulously again. “My advice is just to find some cute girl and make out a little. If the thing with Cecilia is going to happen, it will.”

“But you will notice, Steve, that I didn’t come to you for advice.” She took a gulp of her drink. “So let it go.”

Logan, Xavier and Daniela joined them again then, so Steve was forced to, but she didn’t miss the way he rolled his eyes at her.

-

One of them did end up hooking up with someone that night, but it wasn’t Robin. It was getting close to 3am and both of them were incredibly intoxicated and getting their final drinks before they went home. Robin accepted their two beverages from the bartender – she had lost her concerns about being carded about two hours ago – and turned to see Steve and Logan kissing passionately right next to her, pressed against the bar.

Her first thought was _holy shit Steve is making out with a guy_. Her second thought was _I fucking KNEW he was Steve’s type. _And her third and final thought before she left them was _okay, that’s definitely a hand on Steve’s ass._

She found Daniela taking to another woman and clumsily worked her way into the tall chair beside her. She had no idea where Xavier had disappeared to. Daniela turned to say something, when she saw their friends over Robin’s shoulder. She laughed, high and clear.

“Logan and Xavier were totally fighting about who got to make a move on your friend all night.” She confessed.

“They were not!” Robin was incredibly drunk and giddy, and this new information sent her into a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, they were! Xavier found some other guy, like, half an hour ago, but his reaction to _that_ would have been priceless.” She motioned to where the two of them were still kissing, it was sloppy and sloshed and, to Robin, gross.

“This is the first guy he’s hooked up with. He’s bi, but he used to be a total lady’s man so it’s hard for him to… to work out.” Stop talking Robin! Daniela just nodded, though.

“I get it. I mean, every single person in here get’s it, right?” She said casually. Robin nodded. She was hitting the wall and getting drowsy, but still she understood Daniela through her hazy mind like it was a sixth sense.

“Right.”

-

The power was still out when they got home, but this was something they forgot until they had been waiting for the elevator for about four whole minutes.

“Shit.” Steve groaned, looking at the long walk up the staircase they had in front of them. “Would this be a bad time to mention I feel, like, sssssuper sick?”

“Please, don’t throw up on me.” Robin muttered, word’s slurring, and they began walking. She was struggling to keep her eyes open and lent her entire body against the wall of the dingy staircase as they moved up. When they were about three flights up her curiosity got the better of her. “Want to talk about Logan?”

Even through her heavy eyelids she saw Steve smile.

“That was fun.”

“I honestly expected you to be freaking out a bit more.” She stumbled as her foot caught on the lip of one of the stairs, but he caught her before she hit her head. She was so close to the ground, however, that she let herself be lowered all the way and lounged down over all the bumpy, carpeted stairs.

“Oh, sober Steve definitely will be.” He laughed like it was an inside joke as she stretched her arms over her head. “But he’s an idiot, that was fun.”

“So you said.” Robin closed her eyes, content to fall asleep right there, when Steve kicked her.

“Come on, we are almost halfway.” He pulled her up as she groaned and rested her full weight against him.

“I’m so tired, Dingus. Let me go.”

“I know, Robin. But no, there’s a nice warm bed waiting for you upstairs.” He pushed her off him and she let the momentum swing her back against the wall. She sighed but conceded and started walking again. After a few steps, Steve started talking again unprompted, like he had some thoughts he was desperate to get out. “It was kind of perfect. I mean, you knew him, so we knew he wasn’t, like, a murderer. Or straight. Or Ugly.”

“Three equally important deal breakers.”

“But at the same time, _I _didn’t know him. So, it’s not like I’ll have to see him again or I have all this history that I ruined.”

“You wouldn’t ruin, uhm, you… wait I have a deep point. It’s right there. Nothing… nothing is ruined by you kissing another guy.” She rubbed her eyes blearily.

“Isn’t it thought? Just a little?”

“No!” She grabbed his shoulders and forced her eyes wide. “No more than when I kiss a girl, or a girl kisses a guy.”

His brow was furrowed, but he smiled at her words, tentative and unsure.

“It’s okay feel like that, though.” She said. She placed her hand on his chest, thinking about her brief exchange with Daniela. “Isn’t it something that unites us?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” They started walking again. Robin felt a little more alert, not a lot, thought.

“He was really into you. I could probably set up a date, if you wanted?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know. I still think dating a guy would make everything so difficult when it doesn’t need to be.”

“But you like him?” Steve ran his hands through his hair as he thought for a moment.

“… Yeah. Shit, yeah.”

“Then take a chance! Take a risk! You are one of the bravest men I know - you have literally fought monsters before, how can this compare?”

Steve stared at her for a moment. He didn’t accept her offer, but he didn’t turn it down again either.

-

The first thing Robin noticed when she woke up the next day was that her bedroom light was on. She squinted at its abrasive brightness, turning over. The lights were back on! She realised a few moments later, jolting up in bed. Her head did _not_ like that, and she had to still herself for a few moments, fingers pressed hard on her temples.

“Dib’s on first shower with the warm water!” Steve called outside her room. She laughed, falling back into the warmth of her pillows. She listened to the spray and rolled over to check her alarm clock. 12:34. Which explained how Steve had managed to wake up before her.

She gathered up her things when she heard his shower end. When they passed each other in the hall, him with a towel around his waist, she saw a few, light hickeys on his neck and she had no recollection of when he had gotten them.

“When did Logan have a chance to give you those?” She drawled. She lent against the open bathroom door way and felt the hot steam from his shower on her back.

“I feel like shit right now, all insults and banter need to wait until I have had a glass of water and a drug or… five.” He grumbled, making his way to his room. She smirked after him. Her own brain was pounding against her skull, so when she had finished in the bathroom (feeling _clean_ for the first time in the past few days), she made it her mission to find some painkillers as well. Steve had an omelette, half eaten, on a plate beside him and a second one in the pan.

“Yours will be ready in about two minutes.” He ducked as she reached above his head to pull some painkillers from the cupboard.

“What would I do without you.” She said as she popped two into her mouth. She left some near his glass of water as well. He continued to eat his eggs as he flipped hers perfectly (a true skill he had) and set it on a plate. They normally would go set up in the living room, today they both hovered around the kitchen, standing.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Head hurts like hell. I’m so glad I don’t have a shift today.” She replied. She started to devour her breakfast; she hadn’t realised how hungry she was until she started eating. Through a full mouth, she asked: “You?”

“Still a bit nauseous, but it’s fading.”

“Great, so I can repeat my reaction from earlier. When did Logan have a chance to give you those? You horny fucks.” She motioned to where his hickeys were now partially covered by a faded red top. He opened his mouth for a few seconds as he searched for the right words to say.

“I was incredibly drunk.” He landed on.

“And in the middle of a bar.” Steve clenched his jaw. He finished his meal and dropped the dishes into the sink. He started washing them straight away, scrubbing them with quick, sharp movements. His shoulders lowered a little as he gradually slowed down.

“I was thinking about what you said last night.” He said nervously with his back to her. She pulled a bite of food off her fork as she watched him curiously. “About how I’d fought monsters before and all that… and I think I will take you up on your offer.”

“To set up a date with Logan?” Robin clarified. She barely remembered that conversation. Steve was so nervous, and she wanted nothing more than to put him at ease. “I knew you guys would hit it off. I’ll make it happen when classes start back up again.” Steve just nodded. She finished her omelette and went over, so she was standing next to him. She smiled up at him as she put it in the sink and Steve smiled back, letting out a tense breath of air.


	8. Steve and Robin have their epilogue (AKA 3 years later…)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long, I guess that that last 10% is always the hardest part to get done.  
the final chapter of IWFYA! I hope you guys have like it so far, like, comment, subscribe, all that youtuber crap, thank you for following it all the way to the end xx

It wasn’t until her final year that Robin got accepted into the immigrant program she wanted.

It was habit for her to pick up their mail from downstairs and skim-read most of it on her elevator ride up. Steve had been cleaning out their fridge (he swears that thing hadn’t worked properly since the blackout) when the front door jiggled. It knocked against the frame roughly. He was up in a second, until he heard Robins loud voice from the other side.

“Stupid key… can never… come on… you… piece of -” the door swung open “shit!” She stood, manic, open letter in one hand and her handbag, keys and the rest of the crumpled letters in the other. She grinned wildly. “Steve! I got it!”

“Got what?” Steve cried, but a matching smile was already on his face.

“The tutoring job!” She ran over and pulled him into a hug. He laughed and held her back, but she pulled back instantly, waving the open letter in his face giddily. In the blur of the paper he could see the logo of the company and several long passages of writing.

“Only took them three and a half years...” 

“Apparently someone moved, and a spot opened up or something. My professor said he put in a good work for me!” She started pacing, holding the paper up to her face. “I’m so excited.”

“Well, while you are excited can I look at our bills?” She held out her other arm blindly, not taking her eyes off the document in front of her. He eased the rest of their letters out of her hand. He was making far more at his job than he ever had before, and if Robin also was bringing in a more solid income, they might be able to move to a better place soon.

Thank god, because their fridge was definitely broken, and their elevator wasn’t far behind.

A few phone calls and long forms later and Robin began teaching people English. When she had said tutoring, Steve had always pictured a bunch of middle school kids but most of the people she dealt with were far older than the both of them, often with kids of their own.

She was loving it, but Steve could see her exhaustion. The work was very demanding, but college hadn’t gone away so she was forced to work on a lot of her homework later at night. This was made tougher because Steve was getting called to his job later and later at night (one of the higher ups had taken a liking to him). He got back from one of these midnight shifts to find her hunched over a table of paperwork.

“Oh, good, Steve, you’re home! I need you to slap me!” She rubbed her eyes as he locked the door.

“What! I’m not going to slap you, Robin.” He set his stuff down and crouched down on the balls of his feet near her.

“I need to study and I keep falling asleep and I need to study but I keep falling asleep.” She rubbed her eyes again, blinking hard a few times after. He raised his eyebrows.

“That’s because it’s almost four thirty in the morning, Robin.” He hooked his arms around her waist, moving her to her room with minimal protest. “There you go…” He said as he eased her into bed. She twisted her arms around her back and clumsily unhooked her bra. She pulled it out from beneath her sweater and threw it at Steve. It hit him squarely in the face.

He caught it as it fell down, quick reflexes firing, and he expected a fight, but Robin had started cuddling one of her pillows.

“Five minutes, maybe.” She said, and then she started snoring lightly.

-

Robin just happened to walk into the kitchen as Steve was putting their phone back down.

“Who was that?” She asked, jumping up to sit on their counter.

“Susan. I don’t think you’ve met her yet; she works at the news network with me.”

“What did she want?”

“You know that audition I had?” Robin immediately perked up.

“Yeah? How’d you go?” Steve just shook his head at her, and her shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry, man.” She said, pushing her foot out to tap him lightly.

“I mean, it was just my first one. It was silly to think I could get on air just like that.” He clicked his fingers.

“Do we need ice cream, and-slash-or booze?”

“Nah. I’m just disappointed.” Robin had achieved a major accomplishment in her career. Steve was starting to feel like he was standing still again. “Susan said that they loved my energy – whatever that means – but I couldn’t read off the cards properly.”

“What?”

“Oh, news anchors have what they need to say written on large cards in front of them, behind the camera.” He mimed it out with his hands, and she laughed at him.

“Right. I remember seeing a picture of that somewhere.”

“Yeah well, apparently I came off as awkward when I tried to read them.”

“You _can_ read, right?” Steve made a contemplative noise.

“Not your best, you’re running out of material.” He raised his eyebrows mockingly at her and grabbed a soft drink from the fridge. He lent back against its door after he closed it.

“Well at least you know why. We can practise or something.” Robin tapped her fingers on the counter as she thought.

“I guess.” Steve said, but he still felt disheartened.

“Wait in here a second.” Robin left to go to her bedroom. Steve watched after her curiously but decided he didn’t care and shrugged. He didn’t see how anything else could hurt, so he settled on the couch, feet up on the opposite armrest, as he waited for her to come back.

It took a few minutes, but she returned holding a purple notebook.

“I brought this for one of my classes but never used it,” she explained as she sat opposite him on the table, then apparently decided that wasn’t comfortable enough. She tapped his foot and he understood, shuffling over to the end of the couch. She crammed into the other side and they pressed their legs together, hers bent against the back of the couch and his along the front.

Robin held up the open notebook horizontally and Steve saw over her knees she had written a sentence in big letters across the small lines page.

“The writing isn’t actually that big. And it’s not this close.” He told her with a wave of his hand. She pulled the book up next to her head and craned her neck to read it. She shrugged.

“We can work our way down. And back, or whatever. Now read.” Steve sighed and rolled his shoulders.

“It’s astounding. Time is… fleeting.” He read. She flipped over to the next page with an encouraging smile. “Madness takes it’s… Robin these are the lyrics to time warp.” She lowered the book and grinned dorkily over the top of it. Rocky Horror had been one of the movies she had made him watch when they had first started at the video store. Steve, despite himself, let out a chuckle like it was a breath. “But listen closely…” He continued, dramatizing his voice, even though it wasn’t written in front of him.

“Not for very much longer!” Robin cried, tossing the book away.

“I’ve got to keep control.” Steve sang poorly through his amusement.

“Let’s do the time warp again!”

“You’re skipping ahead.” Steve nudged her knee with his.

“I don’t remember what comes next.” Robin admitted.

“Neither do I….” Steve trailed off, they looked at each other with a smile.

“Let’s do the time warp again!” They both sang. They were both laughing, pressed close together on their tiny couch. Steve could barely remember why he was sad anymore.

-

Steve woke up one day to the sound of voices down the hall. Robin’s, he discerned instantly, but the others took a few more moments. When it hit him who they were, he shot up, wide awake.

“Shit.”

Dustin, Will and Mike were visiting on their way to Mike’s college today (Dustin was driving, and Will had decided not to go to college but was along for the road trip). He had entirely forgotten. He already had on his sweats, so he threw on a top and hurried to their main room where Dustin and Will were on the couch. Mike was sitting on a cheap fold-out chair they had brought after realising the one, small couch they had wasn’t useful when hosting people. Mike and Dustin’s hair were longer than he remembered, but Will’s was shorter. They were all so _tall._

“Morning, sleepy head.” Robin said from the kitchen where she was pouring glasses of water. She was fully dressed. Steve remembered she had planned to go out today.

“Hey everyone!” Steve tried to smile. There was a chorus of greetings in turn.

“You okay, man?” Dustin asked. Steve nodded, it felt too quick as he did it.

“Robin, can I talk to you in the bathroom for a moment.” He said stiffly.

“Okay?” Robin said, confused. She let Steve lead her down the hall with an apologetic smile at the rest of the boys.

“I have a guy in my room right now.” Steve hissed once they were out of sight.

“So? OH!” Robin’s eyes widened.

“Yeah. What do we do?” Steve cringed, leaning back to look down the hall. The boys were sitting on the couch, almost mirroring him as they tried to see into the bathroom. He snapped out of view.

“Look on the bright side. You have wanted to come out to Dustin for a while now maybe this is the push you need.” Robin suggested. Steve spluttered.

“That'll soften the bombshell. ‘Hey Dustin, I swing both ways, here’s the guy I just fucked to prove it!’” He swung his arms fiercely. 

“_You_ just fucked, huh?”

“That’s not what I –”

“Oh, so it was…”

“No! Jesus, Robs, is that what you are focused on right now?”

“You do realise you are arguing about this super loudly right now!” Mike called from the other room. Robin stilled and Steve screwed his eyes shut.

“We did not.” He called back. He tentatively made his way out to the others, who all looked like they were holding their breath. Robin looked between them.

“Do you want me to be here?” She asked. Steve shook his head, closing his eyes.

“Nah, go to your lunch with Daniela.” She nodded, rubbing his arm.

“Wait –“ She stopped, half way out the door. She turned around and stormed past them again. Into Steve’s bedroom. Steve could hear Robins voice through the walls, but he felt frozen, looking at the three very entertained teenagers in front of him. None of them had said a word and he wished they would.

Robin came marching back out again, slightly dragging the attractive man Steve remembered from last night. He was sleepy, and now carrying his shoes which amplified Steve’s embarrassment.

“Talk it out!” Robin cried. The man tried to talk to Steve but she just pushed him out the door. It closed with a click.

“Anything you would like to tell us, Steve?” Dustin asked. His voice was filled with amusement, but his surprise was clear in his expression.

“Well, I wasn’t planning to tell you in this… context.” Steve put his hands on his hips. His face felt warm. There was no spitefulness in their delight, just enjoyment of his embarrassment. “I’m bisexual, okay?” There was more bite in his voice than he intended so he tried to soften it. “I like both girls and boys.”

“That’s a thing?” Mike’s eyes widened.

“That was my reaction!” Steve cried, then realised the implications of that. “Not that, I mean… That doesn’t mean that you…” Mike looked up at him hesitantly and Steve stopped talking. Robin had turned him into an awkward nerd. He turned his gaze to Dustin, who still looked shocked.

“I didn’t see this coming,” he chuckled, mouth parted like he was trying to find the right words, “I applaud your taste.” Steve let out a breath.

“Thanks, man.” He laughed with him. “Yeah, I, uh, came out to Robin a few years ago, and a few of our queer friends here know but no one else.” Dustin seemed to have processed what he was saying and now was just smiling at him. “To be honest, you are handling this better than I thought you would.”

“Well, it’s nineteen ninety, right? And, I mean…” Dustin looked unsure. He glanced over to Will who was sitting on the couch next to him, silently. Will always had a gentle atmosphere about him, always drawn in on himself. Steve probably knew the least about him, because he was so quiet. At Dustin’s look, however, he took a breath and made eye contact with Steve.

“That’s probably because of me. I came out as gay to the party last year.” He said nervously.

“Oh.” Steve nodded. “That’s great man.” He stepped forward and held out his fist, which Will awkwardly bumped his against.

“Did you just fist bump Will for coming out?” Mike asked.

“We fist bumped each other for our mutual coming out.” Steve corrected. Will laughed softly and that felt like a victory. “Can I tell Robin? We usually tell each other everything, and I think she’d want to know.”

“Actually… I already came out to Robin. Over the phone.” Will admitted. “She was the only gay person I knew and… I guess there was less pressure.”

“Huh.” Steve felt slightly left out, which must have shown on his face because Will continued.

“She actually asked me the exact same thing, about if she could tell you, but I said no. I didn’t know you were… bisexual.” He said the word awkwardly. “I thought you were just some popular jock guy who was friends with us.”

“That’s fair.” Steve said. “And just to clarify I’d rather come out to Lucas, El and Max myself, if that’s okay.”

“Totally.” Mike said. Dustin and Will were both nodding too. “I think they are coming this way in a month anyway for my birthday.”

“Cool.” Steve smiled. He fought for a way to continue the conversation. He punched Will’s shoulder lightly. “Hey, now I can give dating tips to you and the girls too!”

-

Their lives were rinse and repeat for the next few months. They were both so busy, and with such entirely different schedules, that sometimes they would go a few days without even seeing each other. Robin studied and worked. Steve was completely focused on the news station. He would get the occasional audition or interview, but he felt nowhere near getting on the air. Until, a small local station called and said they wanted him, specifically, to try out for the host of a pilot called “The Money-Grabbing Maze”. He was over the moon, until he found out it was on the same day at Robin’s graduation.

“Go.” She urged. “It may be a small show, but it’s a foot in the door. And you’re only twenty-four, them asking for you by name? That never happens.” 

He absolutely killed his audition. He was charming and professional, and Robin practising with him must have helped because afterwards the casting director shook his hand and said he was one of the best she’d seen that day.

He had to go to a shift two hours later, and in a strange way felt like he was cheating. He hadn’t told anyone at the news broadcast he was interested in hosting a show, or even planning to leave his current station. He didn’t worry about being quiet when he got late home that night, as he normally would have. When he was pouring himself a glass of water he notice that their new, wooden answering machine had a message saved and played it. He was surprised to hear a recording of Robin.

"Steve? I’m calling from Cecilia's house." Her voice was whispered. "I was hoping to catch you, but I guess you're still at work. I..." There was a rustling sound as Robin moved. Steve rubbed his eyes and leant against the counter, watching the blinking light of the machine. "We kissed. Cecilia kissed me, I mean. I'm - I'm freaking out a little I need to talk to you. We got to her place after the graduation after party and I was really sad and talking about how I was worried we would lose touch and," she broke off to look around again. "The whole thing was kind of awkward and not at all what I imagined. She freaked out and then I freaked out… It was a mess. She's asleep right now but we talked it out and... Steve, I think I have a girlfriend." He smiled at the excited, hushed tone of her voice. "Anyway, I'll be home tomorrow. I love you, I'm so happy. I’m going to stop talking. Goodnight."

And the receiver clicked off.

-

"Yesterday was a good day for the Harrington-Buckley household."

"The Buckley-Harrington household." Robin corrected. “Wait, so Money-Grabbers?”

“Loved me.”

“That’s amazing, Steve!” They were walking down the street to the sandwich place where Steve used to work for lunch. Robin had clipped her hair up into a bun to hide how messy it had gotten at the after party last night.

“And Cecilia?” He asked. Robin bit her lip to try cover a smile.

“She really likes me. I…” She blushed. “We are getting dinner tomorrow night. A date. An actual date.” She said it slowly, disbelievingly.

“You two are adorable.”

“I’ve never been on a date before, Steve. I have no idea what to do.”

“I can coach you.”

“Given your track record, I’ll pass.” She pushed open the door to the shop by leaning her whole body into it, hands gripping the handle.

“May I remind you I was Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington. Even Tammy Thompson -”

“Ugh, don’t bring up Tammy right now.” Robin let go of the door and Steve had to side step to stop it from hitting him. He laughed as they joined the line.

“Anyway, they said they would call me within the week.” He was back to talking about the casting director. Robin kept up the conversation without missing a beat.

“Company’s say that, but they never actually mean it. That’s code for ‘maybe we will contact you in the next month, or maybe never, screw you!’”

“I don’t know, Rob’s. You weren’t there. They seemed to really like me.”

“Everyone like’s you.”

-

“Make sure you ask lots of questions about her.” Steve said. Cecilia would be here to pick her up in about a minute, so they were waiting in their tiny living room.

“We’ve been friends for four years, Steve, I already know everything about her.”

“Also pay her compliments, but not an overwhelming amount. And confidence. Confidence is imperative.”

“Steve. Calm down.” He had been adjusting her hair, Robin grabbing his wrist’s and pulled them down between their body’s. “I’m going to be fine.”

“I know that.”

“In fact, I think I specifically said I would pass on you coaching me?”

“I’m not coaching.” Robin dropped his hands, so he put them on his hips. “I’m just a friend helping another friend out. You’re first proper date – this is exciting!”

“Don’t build it up to be a big thing, because if you do that then I’ll do that and I’m already freaking out a little bit. Should I redo my make up? I knew this lip colour was too dark for a dinner.” She turned and started moving away but Steve grabbed her shoulders.

“No no no no no. She will be here any second, Buckley. You look great. You’ve got this.”

“I look great. I’ve got this.”

“Exactly.” Steve smiled. There was a knock on the door. “That’s her.”

“Shh!” Robin took a deep breath. She motioned Steve away with her hands and pleading eyes and he side stepped out of her way of the door. On the other side, Cecilia had on a short, purple dress and her hair was cut shorter than the last time Steve had seen her.

“Hey, Robin.” She smiled. “Hi, Steve!” She called over Robin’s shoulder. Steve held up his hand in a polite acknowledgement. She had yellow flowers in her hand, which she held out with an unsure chuckle. “I hope it’s not weird, but I got these for you.”

Robin tucked her hair behind her ear. Steve vaguely remembered her once saying that flowers were the stupidest romantic gesture in existence. Now, however, she accepted them and held them up to her face. He couldn’t see her expression, but he knew she was smiling.

“No, no, not weird at all. Thank you. Can you just give me one moment?” She turned and, on her way into the kitchen, motioned for Steve to follow with her eyes. “Steve, get me out of this.” She whispered once they were a little bit away.

“What? Why?”

“She’s so cute, and I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I’m going to mess this up.” Robin groaned as Steve got out a tall, glass cylinder.

“Okay, you want my number one dating tip.”

“Not really.” Her eyes were flicking back to where Cecilia was waiting by the doorway. Steve filled the container up with water.

“No one knows what they are doing.” He said. Robin laughed as he took the flowers from her and put them in the water. “That’s the fun part. Because in dating, you are never alone. She is going to be right there with you, working it out along your side.” He set the flowers on their counter, rearranging them slightly. Robin took a deep breath.

“Okay, you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“You're never right.” They went back through their tiny room to where Cecilia was fidgeting with her dress. “They look great.” Robin said, motioning to where Steve had set the flowers up.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Robin laughed a little and Cecilia gave her a weak smile. They were perfect for each other. “Shall we?” Her date nodded and they set off.

-

Steve had always liked the idea of being a show host better than being a news anchor. He got to interact with all sorts of people and the content he was covering was fun, instead of dark and grim. The company actually did get back to him within a week, a few days after Robin’s date (which she didn’t come home from until late). He, along with a few other young men, were called in to a test screening in a few weeks’ time.

The production was very low budget, as bare bones as possible. It wasn’t what he was used to, but he was told that if the pilot got picked up, then they were hoping for better equipment when actual filming launched. 

Robin also got the day off her work to come support him. A few of the other men had their girlfriends with him, so almost every person she interacted with assumed she and Steve were dating. It was an assumption they were used too at this point. Before they left, Robin even mentioned that them thinking he was straight would work in his favour.

He was thankful she was there, because the suspense before he got on camera was always the worst part. Once he was up there, he was a natural. All the nerves seemed to fade away. But watching the men before him, seeing how good they were… it felt good having someone he loved to hold his hand.

-

He almost dropped the phone when they called him a few days later. They had picked him! Him - Steve Harrington! Robin was at a client’s house, so he called up Daniela because he needed a friend to talk about it with. After a very rushed lunch with her, he had thought he had calmed down, but just hearing Robin’s keys against their lock riled him up again. 

“Robin! I got it!” He cried.

“The job with Money-Grabbers?” She called through the wall. 

“Yes!” The moment she was in his sight he picked her up and spun her around like he often did when he got excited. She laughed against him and swayed once he had put her down.

“That’s incredible.” She grinned.

“I know. I'm going to be on honest-to-god television." He grinned and threw his arms out, too exhilarated to stay still. "Plus, now we can finally move.”

“Move?” Robin stopped at that. 

“Well, yeah." Steve shrugged, confused. "We have been able to get a better place for a while now, and now that you’ve graduated and I’ve gotten a better job, there’s nothing tying us here, specifically.”

“I guess.” Robin didn’t seem as excited as he did. She moved to the kitchen. 

“What is it?” He asked. She hunched over the counter, contemplating her response. 

“We just have so many memories here, Steve.”

“And a couch that's four feet wide.” Robin still look a little put out. “You didn’t strike me as the nostalgic type.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. She looked over to the chair in question. “I mean, yeah this couch is tiny but it’s also _ours_. And we made it ours. And this kitchen. And that bathroom. And all these pictures.”

“That’s not because of the apartment.” Steve said, moving to stand beside her. “That’s because of _us_. And we will always be together, we won’t lose that if we have a bigger table. Or a better T.V.” Robin laughed. “Hell, we could probably actually buy some proper furniture if this show works out.”

“As long as we are together. Anywhere.”

“Steve and Robin. Does anything else matter?”


End file.
